Clean and Green Election ahead: Asia’s cleanest village lead the way

In one day and a few hours, Meghalaya will go to polls for the Lok Sabha election and this time the election
machinery lead 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 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 locality of Shillong, Nongrim Hills, Bantyllilang Narry adds, “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 round, 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 connect with the community leadership in ensuring
that the polling activities are practiced 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 to secure our well-being as citizens of
this country”.
Dr. Tiwari calls upon each and every citizen including the political parties to participate in this Lok Sabha Election
with equal concerns showed 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, “It is important
for us to understand this, because when we come and vote in large numbers, we exercise our rights and duties as
true citizen of this great country and for Meghalaya”.