Shillong(Meghalaya), June 19: The Meghalaya election office on Friday hosted a major workshop on the “Model Code of Conduct for Campaigns” in Shillong, part of India’s chairship of International IDEA and the state’s assigned thematic research.
The event was organized by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya, with the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management. It brought together election officials, political parties, academics, media professionals, and researchers through hybrid mode.
F. R. Kharkongor, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, inaugurated the workshop as Chief Guest. He stressed ethical campaigning, responsible political conduct, and building public trust in democratic institutions.
C. V. D. Diengdoh, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, District Council Affairs, attended as Guest of Honour. He highlighted 6th Schedule provisions and the role of the Model Code in elections to KHADC, JHADC, and GHADC.
Dr. B. D. R. Tiwari, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya, welcomed participants and outlined the state’s work on campaign code themes under the International IDEA initiative.
Political party representatives Dr. David Kharshandy of the National People’s Party and Dr. A. W. Rani of the Voice of the People Party shared perspectives on ethical campaigning and democratic accountability.
Technical sessions featured North-Eastern Hill University experts. Shishir Tiwari spoke on legal frameworks of ethical campaigning. Dr. Kamaljit Chirom addressed media, digital campaigns, and information integrity. Prof. K. Debbarma presented on campaign finance, monitoring, and enforcement.
Diptendu Sinha Roy, Dean of Research & Consultancy at NIT Meghalaya, delivered a presentation on emerging challenges and global cooperation in election management.
The deliberations produced key recommendations on strengthening campaign regulation, promoting ethical political communication, enhancing transparency, and safeguarding electoral integrity. Inputs from stakeholders will feed into the thematic document on “Model Code of Conduct for Campaigns” under the research initiative.
The hybrid workshop saw online participation from IIIDEM, other CEO offices, district officials, and IDEA member officers. Political party members, media representatives, academicians, and election officials from the CEO’s Office and districts attended in person.
