SHILLONG – Meghalaya Congress President Vincent H. Pala has accused ruling parties of using money and promises to influence voters, claiming some parties are offering up to ₹40 lakh in exchange for electoral support.
Pala said the Congress has begun strengthening its organisation across Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills, extending its network from the block level to the grassroots. He alleged that ruling parties were offering money at political meetings and promising large payouts to voters.
“Every meeting they offer money. ‘If you vote for us, we’ll give you 20 lakhs or 40 lakhs’,” Pala said.
He also accused the ruling parties of first buying political leaders and now targeting voters.
“The only way for the ruling parties is to buy the people like they have bought the leaders, and now they’re trying to buy the voters,” he said.
Pala dismissed several election promises as impossible to implement at the state level, saying some involved subjects outside the Meghalaya government’s powers. “It is only to fool the people,” he said. He also appealed to voters to view the next election through the wider role of Parliament, arguing that weakening the Congress would weaken the ability to fight issues at the national level.
“Once the Congress is weak, you see the society will be weak,” Pala said. Pala turned his criticism on both the NPP and VPP, accusing the parties of poor governance and lack of transparency.
He alleged that the VPP had installed more toll gates without adequate transparency, while accusing the NPP of failing to deliver on repeated promises to reopen coal mining
.“Every election they promise that the coal will be open, but after the election they’ll forget it,” he said.
Pala said voters were increasingly looking towards the Congress over concerns about corruption and governance. He also cautioned against treating political crowds at meetings as proof of electoral support. People would listen to every party before deciding, he said, with the real shift in voter sentiment likely to emerge only after the election is announced.
“Before election, everybody is winning. But we’ll see how it is,” Pala said.
Pala said the Congress would continue its grassroots campaign and work harder ahead of the election.
