INSIGHT: SOUTH ASIA - Security concerns abound as Meghalaya election campaigns ramp up

Meghalaya often witnesses pre-election violence Considering a history of pre-election violence in the rooted in identity and political issues, including state of 3.3 million — and the prospect of even more threats by separatist groups. [...] Additionally, the Meghalaya state government’s alleged inaction against the IN BRIEF protesting tribal population following the November 22, 2022, police firing incident along the disputed Meghalaya’s upcoming legislative assembly elections Assam-Meghalaya border region has also raised in March 2023 have prompted a shift in the state questions about the state’s prioritization of political police’s. [...] can be expected in 2024, with the BJP emerging as a Meghalaya is a Christian-majority state (Table 1), and favourite in Tripura, an alliance partner in Nagaland, anti-conversion drives by the BJP’s Hindu nationalist and a disrupter in Meghalaya. [...] Future of Assam-Meghalaya border talks Meghalaya’s five-decade-long border dispute with The BJP and NPP recently clashed over the impacts Assam could also impact election results, particularly of India’s Uniform Civil Code on Meghalaya’s after the Supreme Court of India halted the border tribal culture, and there has since been a shuffling of pact signed between Meghalaya’s Sangma and (BJP- allian. [...] This means that parties’ takes on would participate in the 2023 assembly elections the border dispute and tribal issues will likely play a without forging a pre-poll alliance with the BJP, not significant part in efforts to garner votes.