Shillong, July 25: Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Friday cautioned that next year’s assembly elections in Assam could postpone efforts to settle the long-running border dispute between the two states. Speaking after inspecting sites in Ri-Bhoi district, where he heads the regional committee, Tynsong said election preparations would occupy legislators, ministers and party cadres, making it difficult to schedule the joint field visits needed to inspect the six remaining disputed stretches.

Meghalaya has already requested Assam to agree on a convenient date for these inspections, he added, but is still awaiting confirmation. The two states signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2022 to resolve disagreements in six of the 12 contested areas along their 884-kilometer boundary. Despite multiple rounds of talks at both official and political levels, the second phase addressing Langpih, Borduar, Nongwah-Mawtamur, Desh Doomreah, Block-I and Block-II has yet to move forward.

Several of these flashpoints have seen violence in recent years, heightening local anxieties over land ownership and security. Tynsong urged both governments to maintain momentum once election activities subside, warning that further delays could inflame tensions and undermine the peacekeeping efforts along the border.