The Opposition Voice of the People’s Party in Meghalaya has mounted a strong political pitch for a regional resurgence, with party president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit asserting that 2028 will see a regional party government in the state, with the VPP poised to sweep the 36 seats in Khasi and Jaintia Hills and expand its footprint across the 24-seat Garo Hills region. He maintained that the 2028 Assembly elections will mark a structural shift in the state’s political trajectory and pave the way for a regional formation to assume power.
Framing the 2028 elections as a turning point in Meghalaya’s political trajectory, Basaiawmoit declared, “I would rather say that 2028, regional party (VPP) will form the government because people are not longer fool. They are not longer blind, they are when you talk, when you say regional party , people know which is the party. So definitely there will be a regional party era that will start from 2028.”
Confident of a dominant show in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, he said the party would also register its presence in Garo Hills. “I am confident because we are going to sweep Khasi Jaintia Hills, and we are going to make our presence felt in Garo Hills. Time only will tell you about VPP in Garo Hills,” he said, signalling a calibrated expansion strategy beyond the party’s traditional base.
It may be mentioned that the last regional party-led government was the UDP-led Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) under late Donkupar Roy, which collapsed in 2009. Since then, national political formations have largely shaped the governance narrative in the state.
Responding to allegations of sustained poaching attempts by the ruling establishment, Basaiawmoit underscored the party’s ideological positioning. “….our politics is different. It is not driven by personal interest, by personal ambition, so we are driven by the real cause of the people,” he said.
Stressing that entry into the party is not driven by personal gain, he added, “So therefore, whoever joins VPP is made to understand that if you want to join VPP, it is not for personal benifits, it is not for status, it is not for position, it is for the service that we are going to give to the people.”
Elaborating on the candidate selection process, he said, “So which is why, whenever we identify people, we are not concentrating in hunting qualified people only. But we are hunting about their true character.”
On concerns over the absence of anti-defection safeguards in district councils, he linked the issue to the party’s internal screening mechanism. “This has indicated in our selection process which means that our selection process has not failed us,” he said.
Pointing to intense competition for party tickets, Basaiawmoit remarked, “There are lots who aspires to become MDC, who have infact applied tickets from one constituency 6-7 candidates, so you can understand how difficulties it is for the party to come to a certain individuals to nominate him as the candidate of the party.”
He added, “After lot of hard work we believe that yes that we are going to do, these are the candidates we are going to give to the people.”
Reiterating the party’s organisational thrust, he said, “Our concern is to run our own party, to strengthen our own party, to keep on campaigning about the principle, the believe of the party, keep on educating the people on what politics is all out.”
Underscoring the primacy of integrity over statutory mechanisms, Basaiawmoit stated, “So we are going to concentrate on persons. First we need to concentrate on individuals his integrity, his character, no matter how good is the law, the intention to bring up the legislation of anti defection laws, there is an attempt to prevent anti defection laws.”
Drawing a distinction between political switching and ideological commitment, he concluded, “When we shift from our party we are not only shifting the uniform, we are not only change the uniform, there is an undying shift in the believe, the principle and philosophy of that independent.”
