Mawiamsyiem villagers get re-included in Meghalaya electoral roll after more than a decade

NONGSTOIN

Villagers of Mawiamsyiem near Langpih, Meghalaya bordering Assam, have been re-included in the electoral roll of Meghalaya after being deleted.

Speaking to TNT-The Northeast Today, village headman P. Nongshlong said, the villagers had their names in the electoral roll of Meghalaya till the year 2004. In 2009, when the villagers went to Lejadubi polling station to cast their votes, unfortunately they were informed that their names have been deleted from the electoral roll.

Since 2008, villagers of Mawiamsyiem have been neglected in all aspects, especially their rights to vote.

Nongshlong also said that when he became the headman of the village in 2015, he has been trying to collect all the documents from the parent village (Lejadubi) and the office of U Syiem of Hima Nongmynsaw Syiemship and submitted to the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Nongstoin.

After submitting all the required documents to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, in the year 2018, the Block Development Officer of Mawshynrut C&RD Block came for enquiry but there was no report till 2019.

Nongshlong later approached the local MLA and MDC of Rambrai Jyrngam Constituency seeking their intervention. “Finally, on 20th August 2020, we were informed that we have been re-included in the electoral roll of Meghalaya,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bajop Pyngrope, MDC Rambrai Jyrngam Constituency lauded the effort of the village headman for fighting the rights of the villagers for securing their names in the electoral roll in Meghalaya.

Pyngrope ensures that he along with the local MLA will try their best for bringing developmental schemes to the village.

He also urged the villagers of Mawiamsyiem to not possess dual EPICs, since it will be hard to settle claims whether they are from Meghalaya or Assam.