Shillong, July 30 (IANS) Meghalaya’s lone Congress MLA, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, joined the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) on Wednesday, wiping out the grand old party in the 60-member Assembly.
Lyngdoh, who was elected to the state Assembly in the 2023 elections from the Mylliem Assembly constituency in East Khasi Hills District, served as the opposition chief whip.
The tribal leader submitted a letter of merger to Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma in the presence of senior NPP leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar.
The Speaker later said that he examined Lyngdoh’s letter and found it in order as per Assembly rules.
“From now onwards, he (Lyngdoh) would be recognised as an MLA of the NPP in the Assembly,” the Speaker announced.
Deputy Chief Minister Dhar also told the media that Lyngdoh formally joined the NPP on Wednesday.
In the 2023 Assembly polls, the Congress, which had governed the mountainous state for many years, secured five seats in the Meghalaya Assembly.
In a setback for the party, three of the five MLAs joined the ruling NPP headed by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on August 19 last year, while legislator Saleng Sangma was elected to the last Lok Sabha election (2024) from the Tura Parliamentary constituency, reducing the number of party members in the Assembly to just one.
The NPP’s tally has risen to 32 MLAs, further strengthening its position at the helm of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), which includes the United Democratic Party (UDP) and Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP).
The UDP has 11 members, and HSPDP has two MLAs.
With two MLAs, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also a partner of the MDA coalition government.
The Trinamool Congress in August 2023 was recognised as an opposition party in the Meghalaya Assembly, and party leader and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP).
The Trinamool, which has five MLAs in the 60-member Assembly, earlier urged the Assembly Speaker to give the LoP post to the party as it is claiming the support of the lone Congress legislator, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, in the House.
Meanwhile, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge in January this year constituted the Political Affairs Committee, the Election Committee, and the Campaign Committee for Meghalaya to strengthen the party organisation in the northeastern hill state.
Congress sources had said that the formation of three committees is a “routine” affair to boost the party organisation after the party’s debacle in the successive Assembly elections.
According to a Congress statement, the 13-member Pradesh Election Committee will be headed by state Congress President Vincent H. Pala, while Lok Sabha member from Tura Parliamentary constituency Saleng Sangama would lead the nine-member campaign Committee.
The 12-member Political Affairs Committee would be headed by AICC in-charge for Meghalaya, A Chellakumar.
–IANS
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