Rise of VPP marks a watershed moment in Meghalaya politics

Shillong: The phenomenal rise of Voice of the People Party (VPP), which caught the imagination of the ordinary people within a very short span of time and won the election from the prestigious Shillong Lok Sabha constituency, is a watershed moment in the politics of the hill state.
Ricky Andrew J Syngkon of VPP trounced veteran Congress leader and three-time MP Vincent Pala by an overwhelming margin of 3,71,910 votes.Syngkon, who is also the general secretary of his party, is an assistant professor by profession and has no criminal records, as per his poll affidavit.
Following its decisive victory in Shillong, VPP has said it would replace the regional parties in Meghalaya.
Party president and a member of the assembly, Ardent M Basaiawmoit, told media persons that the April 19 election was a referendum and its outcome was a clear verdict that the people of the state have lost their faith in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) govt.
Stating his party’s priority is to fight corruption, poverty, and partiality, he said, “We are going to take up the issue of corruption at the national level. We have been saying that we will replace all regional parties in the state and what we have done today is the beginning”.
He attributed the VPP’s success to the wisdom of the people. “This result is an indication that no one can take the people for a ride. You can fool some people sometimes but you cannot fool all the people all the time,” he said, adding, the party would follow up on the implementation of the ILP in Meghalaya, Article 371, and other issues mentioned in the VPP’s election manifesto.
Established in November, 2021, VPP had contested 18 seats in the 2023 Meghalaya le assembly elections and won four seats, sending a clear message that a formidable political force was in the offing in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region.
The party now looks forward to extending its base further and assume power in the next assembly elections in the hill state with its popular election symbol the “winnower”, which in Khasi language is called ‘prah’.