Shillong: In one day and a few hours, Meghalaya will go to polls for the Lok Sabha election and this time the election machinery led by the Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya is not only ensuring a free and fair election but inviting all grass-root community leaders to work together in conducting a Clean and Green Election.
In the bandwagon, is none other than Asia’s cleanest village Mawlynnong, leading from the front, where young women and men came together in unison to clean the polling station held at a village school managed by the Church of North India.
On this initiative, the Rangbah Shnong of Mawlynnong, Thomlin Khongthohrem says, “It is uplifting to know that the CEO and the Election Department are taking the lead to care about the cleanliness of our polling station, because this in itself, reflects the integrity and fairness of the electoral process free from the power of money and inducement”.
Rangbah Shnong of one of the cleanest localities of Shillong, Nongrim Hills, Bantyllilang Narry added, “This initiative should be well-received as it will ensure that after the election day, no trace of dirt and plastic use is seen in and around the vicinity of the polling station. This call to action should drive home the message that protection of the environment is paramount alongside the act to vote by the citizen”
This time around, the CEO is releasing a pledge where all poll personnel involving the community will work together in conducting a cleaning drive within the vicinity of the polling station. This exercise is not only meant to create awareness among the voters but to involve poll personnel’s connection with the community leadership in ensuring that the polling activities are practised keeping in mind cleanliness and care for the environment.
The pledge reads, “We the responsible voters of India abiding by the tenets of Democracy of this great country, hereby, pledge to uphold the spirit of stewardship by ensuring Clean and Green practices while participating in the Elections, aligning our citizens’ actions with our shared values, embedded in our electoral integrity by shunning inducement and caring for the environment, cutting across religion, race, caste, community and language”.
Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya, Dr. BDR Tiwari, IAS says, “The intention is to involve both polling parties and the community leadership to come together and show care to nature because our life depends on it. In one sense, if we cast our vote for our future, the environment plays a very important role in securing our well-being as citizens of this country”.
Dr. Tiwari calls upon every citizen including the political parties to participate in this Lok Sabha Election with equal concerns shown to nature and solicit the contribution of women and youth by participating in these cleaning drives.
Lok Sabha as an election is as equally important as the other state-based elections, “We need to understand this because when we come and vote in large numbers, we exercise our rights and duties as true citizens of this great country and for Meghalaya”.
