Shillong: NPP national president Conrad K Sangma on Friday held a meeting with all the NPP and BJP legislators at the Chief Minister’s bungalow in Shillong. He later submitted the letter of resignation as Chief Minister of Meghalaya to Governor Phagu Chauhan while also staking a claim to form the new government.
Sangma claimed that he has an “absolute majority with 32 MLAs” on his side in the 60-member assembly but refused to give details of supporting parties.
Sangma said, “We have an absolute majority. The BJP has already extended its support. Some others have also given their support.”
The United Democratic Party (UDP) and People’s Democratic Front (PDF) are yet to decide if they want to extend their support to NPP. BJP president Ernest Mawrie, however, issued a statement on Thursday that the party will extend support to NPP to form the government in Meghalaya.
While Sangma did not clearly specify the total number of MLAs in the proposed coalition, he said that the NPP has the support of two BJP MLAs and one Kartush N Marak, an Independent candidate from the Baghmara constituency in Garo Hills.
The MLAs then headed towards the Raj Bhavan led by Conrad K Sangma to submit his resignation letter as CM and to stake claim to form the new government in Meghalaya.
Sangma submitted his letter of resignation as CM of Meghalaya to Governor Phagu Chauhan and staked claim to form the new government.
The NPP emerged as the single-largest party in Meghalaya on Thursday, bagging 26 seats out of the 59 constituencies that went to polls on February 27.
The UDP, which was NPP’s ally in the Conrad K Sangma government, emerged as the second-largest party, winning 11 constituencies. It had won only six seats in the 2018 polls.
The Congress and the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC won five seats each, while the BJP secured two constituencies.
The newly formed Voice of the People Party (VPP) won four seats, while the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) and the People’s Democratic Front won two seats each. Two Independent candidates also emerged victorious.
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