Meghalaya : Conrad Sangma cabinet will take oath tomorrow
SHILLONG : A five-party alliance cobbled together by the BJP and led by the NPP is set to come to power in Meghalaya, edging out the Congress which had emerged as the single-largest party in yesterday’s results. Sources say NPP leader Conrad Sangma emerged as the next chief minister, but his sister Agatha Sangma has also emerged as the dark horse.
Non-Congress government of NPP-UDP-BJP will take oath on 6 March. To be followed by Nagaland and Tripura on 7 and 8 March.” told BJP Leader Ram Madhav.
The National People’s Party met Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad and staked claim to form the next government in the state. The NPP, which secured 19 seats on its own, has the backing of six United Democratic Party (UDP) legislators, four People’s Democratic Front (PDF) MLAs, two each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) MLAs and an independents, taking the combined strength of the alliance to 34. This leaves the ruling Congress, despite retaining 21 seats, lagging in the numbers game.
“Like-minded parties had a common interest. All parties came together to work under an alliance. It’s not about help from BJP. They are part of the alliance. There is a large anti-incumbency against the last government. Most parties who fought the election was against the last government.” told Conrad Sangma.
Conrad Sangma, who was earlier said to reluctant to be projected as his party’s presumptive chief minister, said he agreed to assume the responsibility on the insistence of the coalition partners. He is the son of former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma who founded the NPP that is now run by the Sangma family.
The Congress is 10 seats short of the halfway mark at 31. Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel flew from Delhi to Shillong to talk to regional parties for support. “Associates have assured support in the last one hour. The BJP is out of the fray; they are trying to create mischief,” said Kamal Nath
Congress’s Mukul Sangma later taunted the BJP for attempting to form the government with just two members. “They want to fire from the shoulder of other political parties,” the outgoing chief minister told reporters after submitting his resignation from the post.
“We don’t have pre-poll alliance with anybody. Right from the time of campaigning we knew that BJP, NPP and UDP were together and it has been proved now. Mandate was actually given to Congress.” said Vincent Pala, Congress working president of Meghalaya. (With Agency Inputs).
