In changing Meghalaya fray, some candidates go hyperlocal as they bet on micro manifestos

Avner Pariat (Voice of People Party) speaking at a gathering.

At least five candidates in Shillong, which has several Assembly constituencies, have come up with such manifestos based on hyperlocal issues in their respective bids to “respond to the needs of their constituencies”.

A case in point is the “policy document” released by the Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s Elgiva Gwyneth Rynjah, who is contesting from the North Shillong seat. Rynjah’s micro manifesto makes the promise, among other things, of setting up free coaching centres for competitive exams besides a shop for selling subsidised medicines.

“The party manifesto is for the entire state but every constituency has its own problems and issues,” said Rynjah, the 32-year-old first-time candidate. She pointed out that youth and women constitute a large section of her constituency’s electors. “Unemployment is a major issue (in North Shillong) – opening free coaching centres for youth for various competitive exams is one way to combat it,” she said, adding that she was not “overruling the party manifesto” though.

In the adjoining East Shillong constituency, Khasi writer Avner Pariat has come up with his own micro manifesto. Its promises include the proposal of “constituency clinics” which, he says, involve public meetings where he will produce a report card of his work to locals in every three months if elected as an MLA. “In the West, this is not a new idea and we believe this will help bring about a closer relationship between the electorate and the elected,” said Pariat, adding that he wanted to create a document that reflected “common desires and issues”.

“The other reason is that sometimes people get tired with these common manifestos, big promises… they seem lofty and do not matter to the people on the ground,” Pariat said. Citing the manifestos of major contending parties, including the NPP, BJP, TMC and Congress, he said they include an assurance to address the border issue with Assam and check illegal coal mining in the state. While these are important issues, they may not concern individual voters at the constituency level, he added.

Pariat is making his electoral debut from East Shillong on the ticket of the newly-formed Voice of the People Party. In his micro manifesto, he has also pledged that he will organise events that will bring different communities together in order to ensure that the constituency inhabited by various ethnic groups could be “free of (any) harassment and intimidation”.

The three candidates fielded by KAM – a new political platform – have also put out an “action plan” for their respective constituencies. For instance, Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh, who is contesting from North Shillong, had promised “de-addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres” as well as the “North Shillong drug education and prevention network” to coordinate and support volunteer projects in substance abuse, prevention, treatment and law enforcement. The Kam candidates have also laid down a roadmap of their work for the first hundred days if elected to the Assembly.

KAM’s Angela Rangad, an activist contesting from East Shillong, said the action plans were based on house-to-house surveys during their campaigning. The surveys asked the voters to answer questions such as the issues they were facing in the constituency and at the individual level, the problems they wanted resolved, and the MLA they would prefer.

“For us this was an organic process that was thought out for long,” said Rangad, who started campaigning in June 2022.

Rynjah said the point that certain candidates were releasing constituency- specific manifestos reflected Meghalaya’s changing electoral politics “now that younger people with fresh ideas are contesting”.