Shillong, Oct 18: Three of the remaining four United Democratic Party (UDP) MLAs will meet the Meghalaya Assembly Speaker on Monday with their move to the National People’s Party (NPP) a near certainty.
The trio has sought an appointment with Speaker Thomas A Sangma for 4pm.
This would effectively leave the UDP with one sole remaining MLA, cabinet minister and Mairang legislator Metbah Lyngdoh, the UDP president.
The move by the three – West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh, Mawkyrwat MLA Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar and Mowkaiaw MLA Nujorki Sungoh – comes close on the heels of the Speaker’s recognition of the legality of eight UDP defectors who joined (technically merged the UDP parliamentary party with) the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Paul Lyngdoh, Tongkhar and Sungoh would have had their own reasons for not joining with the other eight in leaving for the BJP. In Tongkhar’s case, many of his supporters in Mawkyrwat had already joined the NPP and it was seen as only a matter of time for the MLA to follow suit. For Paul, one of his West Shillong rivals, Mohendro Rapsang, had himself quit the NPP in favour of the BJP, which made it unlikely for Paul to join the saffron outfit.
As the three form more than two-thirds of the remaining UDP strength in the Assembly, they would, prima facie, avoid punishment under the anti-defection law contained within the Constitution.
If confirmed, the move would be the last act in the downfall of the UDP. From 12 legislators elected in 2023, which made it the second-largest in the Assembly, the party has experienced missteps, including making a poor choice for Shillong MP candidate in 2024 (who garnered less than 5 percent of the vote) and defeat in the district councils in Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Metbah Lyngdoh has been blamed for much of the party’s ill fortunes, though a cabinet reshuffle that saw Paul Lyngdoh removed from his ministerial berth last year is thought to have been the main driver of the rebellion.
According to a source, the exact induction of Paul, Sungoh and Tongkhar might have to wait for a while as Sungoh is currently in Kolkata and Conrad K Sangma, the Chief Minister and head of the NPP, is, as he often is, in New Delhi.
Where the UDP goes from here is uncertain. The party still has a candidate – advocate VGK Kynta – set to run in the Shillong Lok Sabha by-election but hardly any big names to campaign for him.
In the district councils, which are not bound by the anti-defection law, the UDP’s MDCs may very well see the writing on the wall and make their own political calculations. Sohra MDC Titosstarwell Chyne, a senior figure in the party, has so far sounded loyal to Metbah Lyngdoh but the commitment of the others cannot be guaranteed.
The latest realignment may make a cabinet reshuffle more likely but that is not a certainty.
With the original defections, the BJP’s strength has jumped from two to 10 with two cabinet posts – for Sanbor Shullai (an original BJP MLA) and Lahkmen Rymbui (a UDP turncoat).
The strength of the NPP, with the addition of the three, will rise to 36 MLAs. But will Sangma remove Metbah Lyngdoh from cabinet is the question – even with just one MLA, the CM may not want to lose an ally, one he might need after the state election is held in 2028.
