Shillong, Jan 11: Over Rs 9.26 lakh have been received as donation by the KAM Meghalaya, which is fielding three candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.

“Till December 31, 2022, people had donated Rs 9,26,636. These donations have ranged from 200 rupees to 1,00,000 rupees,” KAM leader and candidate from South Shillong, Angela Rangad, in a press statement on Wednesday.

“Out of the total donations, Rs 4,36,200 (47%) have been donations from Meghalaya and the rest from other parts of India. Some of the local donations have also been in kind like milk, tea leaves and rice,” she said.

She said the members of KAM Meghalaya have always fought for transparency and accountability in electoral finances of political parties and campaigns.

The other two candidates include Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh from North Shillong and Wanpynhun Kharsyntiew from East Shillong.

Rangad informed that the KAM is in its second phase of fundraising and the response has been extremely encouraging. “Since the day KAM Meghalaya decided to jump into the electoral fray to provide a viable, progressive alternative to the people of Shillong, its three candidates have been committed to build our campaign grounds up,” she said.

In the last seven months, she said they have been going door-to-door to speak to families and understand their issues as well as their expectations from us. She said that each candidate has personally visited most of the households (around 70%) and have personally interacted with close to 30% individual voters in each constituency.

“Unlike the other political parties who have hired corporate political consultants and surveyors, KAM Meghalaya candidates have circulated a participatory survey form for our electors to participate and provide their inputs to the manifesto we are preparing,” she said.

Sharing the feedback they got from the people, Rangad said, “95% of our electors have said that their representative should make laws that improve the lives of people… Over 90% of the electors demand an honest, non-corrupt, accessible, and fair representative who offers an alternative to nepotism and favouritism… About 50% of our responders have expressed their desire to have a representative with a reputation of honesty and with a track record of working in the interest of people.”

She further informed that they are in the process of analysing the other data from the survey which will inform the creation of a ‘People’s Manifesto’ for the constituency as well as for the state.