Eight Meghalaya MLAs including five from Congress join NPP

Eight MLAs in Meghalaya, including five from the ruling Congress, resigned from the assembly and said they would join the National People’s Party (NPP), an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

The MLAs submitted their resignation to the assembly speaker on Friday. They will formally join the NPP in a public rally on January 4.

The eight legislators are Siawbhalang Dhar, Comingone Ymbon, Hopeful Bamon, Stephanson Mukhim, Prestone Tynsong, Remington Pyngrope, Rowell Lyngdoh and Ngaitlang Dhar.


While five of these MLAs belonged to the Congress, one represented Meghalaya-based United Democratic Party in the assembly and the other two were independent legislators.

The MLAs said they were dissatisfied with the way chief minister Mukul Sangma was running the government.

In poll-bound Meghalaya, the Congress is witnessing an exodus of workers and local leaders. Recently, Congress legislator Pynshngian N Syiem resigned as an MLA to join the newly floated People's Democratic Front.

The NPP was founded by former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma and is part of the NDA-led coalition government in Manipur. It is emerging as a contender to the Congress’s 15-year rule in the state.

The BJP, which has built up a strong organisational network in Christian-dominated Meghalaya, is confident of a good show in the assembly election scheduled to happen early next year. Party president Amit Shah is set to visit the state on January 6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick-started the party’s poll campaign recently.