Shillong, May 6 (IANS) All recognised political parties in Meghalaya, except the Voice of the People Party (VPP), attended an all-party meeting convened by the state government on Wednesday to discuss the findings and recommendations of the Expert Committee on the State Reservation Policy.
The meeting was chaired by senior Meghalaya government officials and focused on presenting the key observations, legal aspects and constitutional implications contained in the committee’s report.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Commissioner and Secretary of the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department Cyril V. Diengdoh said the report had already been tabled in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on February 18, 2026.
He said Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had assured the Assembly that political parties would be consulted before any further decision was taken on the matter.
Diengdoh said copies of the report would now be shared with all political parties as directed by the Chief Minister.
Describing the report as “voluminous”, the senior official said the committee’s findings were spread across 21 volumes comprising nearly 4,000 pages.
He noted that because of time constraints, only the major recommendations and important legal and constitutional aspects could be highlighted during the hour-long meeting.
According to Diengdoh, most political parties present at the meeting did not raise any major objections to the findings presented by the government.
“Most parties appreciated the initiative taken by the government to hold consultations and place the findings before them,” he said.
However, he refrained from disclosing the stand taken by individual parties, saying each political party was free to articulate its own position publicly after studying the report in detail.
On the possibility of further consultations, Diengdoh said another all-party meeting might not be necessary since almost all recognised political parties attended Wednesday’s discussion.
He added, however, that political parties could still submit additional suggestions or observations after examining the report.
Referring to the absence of the VPP, which had earlier strongly advocated a review of the reservation policy, Diengdoh said the party had formally informed the government that it would not be able to attend the meeting.
He added that the reasons behind the party’s absence could only be clarified by the VPP itself.
–IANS
tdr/pgh