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Meghalaya Assembly Elections 2023
The possibility of another hung assembly in Meghalaya looms large with no single party apparently looking capable of winning a majority of seats and no prepoll alliances so far. It is a matter of conjecture whether there will be a fractured verdict paving the way for another coalition or a decisive mandate will emerge ushering in major qualitative changes in the new ruling dispensation.
Assembly elections are round the corner in Meghalaya and hectic parleys are on to woo the voters of 60 constituencies in the state. Political and party alignments are undergoing some transformations as well. Despite being a small state, Meghalaya has always been politically vibrant. Regionalism thrived here since the formation of Meghalaya as a separate state of the Indian union in 1972. However, this has been a moderate brand of regionalism without any secessionist overtones. The emerging regional elite has preferred to bargain with the national political leadership for more concessions for the tribal people of Meghalaya, namely the Khasis, the Jaintias, and the Garos. The All Party Hill Leaders’ Conference (APHLC), the first regional party of Meghalaya, had even proclaimed itself as a regional party with a national outlook. While some separatist groups cropped up in Meghalaya, these have been neutralised and proscribed and currently, the process of negotiation is being initiated with some of these outfits. None of the regional parties have overtly supported any of these groups. Against this backdrop of a complementary interface between the national and regional political forces, the ensuing elections may be contextualised in several new developments and emerging issues at stake for the public at large as well as for the civil and political society.
Limitations of the Ruling Coalition
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