By Saraswat Kashyap: Voice of the People Party (VPP) has been recognised as a state party in Meghalaya by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The VPP was allotted a winnower as the party symbol.
The recognition comes after a review of the poll performance of the VPP in the 2023 Assembly elections.
The newly floated political party had won four seats in the 59-member Assembly of Meghalaya.
In a letter to the president of the Voice of the People Party, Ardent M Basaiawmoit, ECI undersecretary Manish Kumar said, “I am directed to state that on the basis of a review of the poll performance, the Commission vide its letter dated April 10, 2023, granted recognition to the Voice of the People Party as a State Party in the State of Meghalaya under the provisions of the Election Symbols (Reservation & Allotment) Order, 1968.”
“Further, it is also to inform you that as per the request vide letter dated April 11, 2023, to allot “Winnower” as its reserved symbol, the said symbol “Winnower” has been allotted as the reserved symbol of the Party in the state of Meghalaya,” Kumar added. He further said a notification would be issued in due course.
Voice of the People Party
The VPP is a political party established in November 2021 in the northeastern hill state of Meghalaya.
The party’s president, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, was elected to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly from the Nongkrem constituency in the 2013 election and was reelected in 2023.
The party contested 14 constituencies in the 2023 Legislative polls and won four seats.
On 20 March 2023, Basaiawmoit and fellow Voice of the People Party MLAs protested against the Governor of Meghalaya’s Hindi speech in the first budget session of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly 2023 by storming out of the session.
They said that Meghalaya is a non-Hindi state and that the Centre has insulted Meghalaya by sending a governor who cannot speak in the state’s official language.
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