Guwahati: Three of the four remaining United Democratic Party (UDP) MLAs in Meghalaya are likely to join the National People’s Party (NPP) on Monday, October 19, which would increase the ruling party’s strength in the 60-member Assembly from 33 to 36, a UDP leader said.
UDP leader Paul Lyngdoh said the three legislators would join the NPP, leaving the regional party with only one MLA — its president, Metbah Lyngdoh, who is also a minister in Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma’s government.
The proposed move comes days after Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A Sangma formally recognised the merger of eight UDP MLAs with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reducing the UDP’s strength from 12 legislators to four.
The eight legislators joined the BJP in New Delhi on September 23 and submitted a letter informing the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly of the merger two days later. The Speaker formally recognised the merger on October 16, increasing the BJP’s strength in the Assembly from two to 10.
The latest realignment would further change the composition of the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), of which the NPP is the largest party. Both the BJP and the UDP are constituents of the coalition.
The next Meghalaya Assembly election is due in early 2028.