SHILLONG: In a significant blow to the opposition Congress in Meghalaya, three MLAs – Umsning MLA Celestine Lyngdoh and suspended legislators Gabriel Wahlang and Charles Marngar – joined the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) on Monday.
This move has bolstered Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma-led NPP’s hold on power in the state, giving it an absolute majority of 31 seats in the 60-member Assembly.
The Congress, once the dominant force in Meghalaya, is now reduced to a lone MLA, the Leader of Opposition, Ronnie V Lyngdoh.
The defection of the three MLAs to the NPP came just days after Celestine Lyngdoh had met with Congress leaders and denied immediate plans to join the ruling party.
The other two MLAs, Gabriel Wahlang and Charles Marngar were suspended by the Congress for six years on August 16 for failing to attend a party meeting.
The party’s move aimed to prevent the MLAs from defecting by leveraging the anti-defection law, which could have led to their disqualification.
With the addition of the three new MLAs, the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) now has a combined strength of 49 seats, including 12 from the United Democratic Party (UDP), two each from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), and two Independents.
The three legislators met with Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma on Monday to complete the formalities for their defection and were subsequently welcomed into the NPP by party leaders, including Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad K. Sangma and state president and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong.
Commenting on his decision to join the NPP, Celestine Lyngdoh argued that the majority of the party’s leaders were originally from the Congress. He expressed hope that his move would lead to positive changes and development for his constituency.
Tynsong welcomed the new members and expressed satisfaction with the party’s achievement of an absolute majority.
Terming this a historic moment for the NPP, the deputy chief minister said the party’s door is open for other MLAs to join.
He also challenged the Congress to take legal action if they believed the NPP had engaged in poaching.
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The opposition has been significantly weakened as a result, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) now holding five seats and the Voice of the People Party (VPP) holding four, reducing the total opposition count to a mere ten seats.
The Congress has faced similar setbacks in the past, with 12 of its MLAs defecting to the Trinamool Congress in November 2021 and the remaining five joining the NPP-led coalition government.
