Shillong, June 19: The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya, in association with the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (1lIDEM), successfully organized a Workshop on “Model Code of Conduct for Campaigns” at Shillong on 19th June, 2026 as part of the thematic priorities under India’s Chairship of International IDEA and the thematic work assigned to Meghalaya.
The workshop was inaugurated by Shri F. R. Kharkongor, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, who attended as the Chief Guest. In his address, he highlighted the importance of ethical election campaigning, responsible political conduct, and strengthening public trust in democratic institutions.
Shri C. V. D. Diengdoh, IAS, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, District Council Affairs Department attended as the Guest of honour and in his address, he highlighted the 6th Schedule provisions and relevant mechanism of the Model Code of Conduct in the conduct to Election to Autonomous District Councils in KHADC, JHADC and GHADC.
Earlier, Dr. B. D. R. Tiwari, IAS, Chief Electoral 0fficer, Meghalaya, welcomed the participants and highlighted the thematic work being undertaken by Meghalaya on the subject of Model Code of Conduct for Campaigns under the International IDEA initiative.
The workshop brought together election officials, political party representatives, academicians, media professionals, researchers, and other stakeholders through both physical and virtual modes. Representatives of political parties, including Dr.
David Kharshandy of the National People’s Party (NPP) and Dr. A. W. Rani of the Voice of the People Party (VPP), shared their perspectives on ethical campaigning and democratic accountability.
The technical sessions featured presentations by distinguished academicians and subject experts. Mr. Shishir Tiwari, Assistant Professo, Department of Law, North-Eastern Hill University, spoke on Foundations and Legal Frameworks of Ethical Election Campaigning. Dr. Kamaljit Chirom, Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, North-Eastern Hill University, deliberated on Media, Digital Campaigns, and Information Integrity.
Prof. K. Debbarma, Department of Political Science, North-Eastern Hill University, presented on Campaign Finance, Monitoring, and Enforcement, while Prof. Diptendu Sinha Roy, Dean (Research & Consultancy), National Institute of Technology Meghalaya, delivered a presentation on Emerging Challenges and Global Cooperation.
The deliberations generated valuable insights and recommendations on strengthening campaign regulation, promoting ethical political communication, enhancing transparency, and safeguarding electoral integrity. The inputs received from stakeholders will contribute to the thematic document on “Model Code of
Conduct for Campaigns” being prepared as part of the thematic research initiative.
The workshop was conducted in Hybrid mode and IIIDEM, other CEO Offices, District Officials. IDEA Member Officers also joined this workshop online. The Political Party Members in the State, Media representatives, academicians also attended this workshop along with Election Officials from CEO’s Office and different districts of the State.
The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Meghalaya, expressed its gratitude to all speakers, participants, and partner institutions for their valuable contributions towards the successful conduct of the workshop.
