Shillong: As Meghalaya goes to Assembly polls in a week from February 19, one hope that binds almost all political parties is that this time it brings political stability.

That is understandable, given the fact that the state witnessed change of guard six times in the last five years and each party tasted power during that period as political alignments changed at regular intervals.

Each of the parties that shared the power cake in the last five years promise the voters a stable government. The parties accuse each other of corruption and vow to provide a clean government.

Each party is fighting the February 26 polls to the 60-member Assembly on its own, but may position itself for alliances in a post-poll scenario depending on the results.

The campaign has hotted up with national leaders like Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Union Ministers I D Swami, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Bijoya Chakravorty of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Purno A Sangma of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) crisscrossing the state.

Altogether, 333 candidates belonging to 13 political parties and including 58 independents are in fray, 25 more than the previous polls in 1998.

Though Meghalaya is a matriarchal society, only 15 women candidates are in fray.

Nongkrem, Lyngkyrdem and Rongram constituencies have the maximum number of candidates, with 11 each.

Two former Chief Ministers, S C Marak (Congress) and E K Mawlong (United Democratic Party) are facing straight contests in Resubelpara and Umroi constituencies respectively.

An easy contest seems on hand for the former Chief Minister E K Mawlong as he has nurtured his constituency since he joined politics, feel poll watchers.

By contrast, S C Marak's victory would not be easy as NCP national leader Purno A Sangma had been vigorously campaigning against him.

Moreover, an anti-Congress wind is blowing in the Garo Hills, the party's bastion, they said.

A tough fight also awaits Deputy Chief Minister D Dethwelson Lapang (Congress), whose his main rival is Constantine Lyngdoh of United Democratic Party (UDP), who had defeated him by a margin of 1,095 votes in 1993 election.

However, in 1998 Lapang won the seat with a margin of 2,504, defeating Lyngdoh who contested on a UDP ticket.

It will be an acid test to the former Finance Minister A H Scott Lyngdoh and Paul Lyngdoh, the supremo of Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement at Jaiaw constituency.

For Paul Lyngdoh, who was the president of Khasi Students Union, it is a maiden venture into state politics.

Prominent among the women candidates are Community and Rural Development Minister Maysalin War, who is contesting from Mawthengkut on Meghalaya Democratic Party (MDP) ticket, while Debora C Mark, Minister of State for Mining and Geology, is contesting from Rongrenggiri on Congress ticket.

There are 127,940 electorate in the state, of which 644,913 are male and 634,827 are female.

Meghalaya director general of police L Sailo said he apprehended violence at some police stations as United Democratic Peoples Solidarity, a Karbi outfit and Karbi National Volunteers, the two outfits of Assam, have threatened to disrupt the poll process in the Jantia and Ri-bhoi districts.

He said militant outfits might trigger violence in the Garo Hills also. In Garo Hills, the main threat might be from United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland, though the local outfit Achik National Volunteer Council stays away and does not disrupt the polls.

The state election department had asked the Election Commission for 50 companies of paramilitary forces, against which only 15 companies were sanctioned.

The Centre has also decided to give an additional police force of the Indian Reserve Battalion, official sources said adding the battalion with a strength of 1,000 will be the fifth in the state.

Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh during his visit on January 28 advised the state to remain on high alert against communal campaigning.

He also said most of the constituencies where political violence has been anticipated were in West Khasi Hills and East Khasi hills and one constituency in the Jaintia Hills districts.

A total of 1,569 polling booths would be set up, of which 60 per cent have been identified as sensitive. A number of the polling booths are located close to elephant infested areas in Garo Hills and Ri-bhoi districts.

PTI