Congress MLA from Mawlai, Process T Sawkmie on Monday suggested the need to increase the number of Assembly seats to 70 and Lok Sabha seats to four in Meghalaya.
Sawkmie made this suggestion during a discussion which he initiated through a special motion on the overall development in the state and the need to seek more financial assistance from the centre, and earmark a budget provision for all the eleven districts in the state on the second day of the Autumn Session of the state Assembly here on Monday.
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Meghalaya at present has 60 members in the State Legislative Assembly, and two Lok Sabha members and one Rajya Sabha member.
Sawkmie said considering the increase in population, there are constituencies in the state that require more development and cited his Mawlai constituency, the biggest constituency in the state with a total of about 43,000 voters and about one lakh population.
He said that the Rs 2 Cr allotted to each MLA to develop their respective constituency is not enough for big constituency like his.
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Sawkmie also said the state will have good voice if the state has more Members of Parliament.
He also demanded equal share of development to all the 11 districts in the state.
The Congress legislator from Mawlai asked the state government to also seek more funds from the Centre which he hoped that the government led by the NPP in the state has a good link with the NDA government at the Centre being led by the BJP.
Stating that projects always take time to complete in Meghalaya, Sawkmie said the state government should pursue with the Centre to provide central assistance.