Voters Turn Donors In Meghalaya As Regional Party Crowdfunds

In Meghalaya's capital, Shillong, one of the prominent opposition parties, the Voice of the People's Party (VPP), has launched a crowdfunding campaign for its ensuing Lok Sabha by-election.

Supporters have contributed Rs 3,07,000 to help the party contest the election, turning the usual election story on its head. Instead of expecting money, food, or freebies from political parties, these supporters are putting their own money behind a political cause they believe in.

The message is simple: voters are the masters, and politicians are their servants. At the heart of the campaign is a challenge to conventional election practices-whether political support should be earned through trust and public service rather than money and inducements.

The message was on display at Polo Ground in Shillong, where an estimated 10,000 people gathered for a VPP rally led by party president and Nongkrem legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit. The Rs 3,07,000 contribution added a striking dimension to the gathering, placing supporters at the centre of the campaign rather than portraying them as passive recipients of political promises. The message the party sought to underline was clear: voters say no to freebies, money, and bribes, and yes to politics built on public trust and accountability.

Basaiawmoit said the party would not pay people to attend meetings or arrange food for supporters, arguing that its responsibility was to work for the people.

He said, "As we have been saying, the politics of the Voice of the People's Party is different. It is a party with a difference: we are not going to provide money to the people to attend our meetings; we are not going to arrange food for the supporters. In fact, what we are going to do is work for the interest of the people, as we are mere servants of the people, so how can you expect a servant to pay for the master? It is the master who should understand, as we are going to work for them and they should come and listen to the speeches of the leaders of the party."

VPP candidate Dr Batskhem Myrboh said elections should be fought on issues, trust, and a genuine connection with voters, rather than through financial inducements. He argued that political parties committed to democratic principles should seek public support through their work and policies, not through their ability to offer money.

He said, "In a truly democratic system, in a truly democratic polity, it is very wrong for any political party to bribe the voters. Any political party that states or commits to abide by the Constitution of India has to follow the example of the VPP, where we go to the people; we seek the support of the people based on issues, based on confidence, based on connection with the people, not because we are capable of buying the voters or the people. Therefore, if the other political parties in India follow the model that we have here in Meghalaya, led by the VPP and also reflecting the democratic consciousness, the democratic ethos that the people of the Shillong Parliamentary constituency have, I do not doubt that India will be a developed country in no time."

Myrboh said the party would continue with this approach in the 2028 Assembly elections, stating, "The party will carry forward this trend in the 2028 Assembly elections, stating that definitely this is always the strategy of the VPP in any election; otherwise, there is no point for us to contest elections like the other political parties. If we follow the model of other political parties, then since we have so many political parties, there is no need for a special party."