Cabinet minister Alexander Laloo Hek is ready and willing to give up his seat at the high table for a second time if told to do so by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership.
In the first stint of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, between 2018 and 2023, Hek occupied a cabinet berth for around 2.5 years before giving way to the only other BJP member in the Assembly, Sanbor Shullai, who completed the term in cabinet. The second MDA government is now two years old and, while there has been no definitive answer on whether he will have to give way to Shullai again, Hek said today that he will abide by the BJP’s decision.
Shullai remains hopeful about his chances of rejoining the cabinet, citing an internal understanding during the government’s formation in 2023. According to the agreement, a cabinet exchange is expected to take place after the government reaches the halfway mark.
Meanwhile, reacting to the BJP’s setback in the recent KHADC and JHADC polls, where it scored zero seats, Hek remarked that, in time, the people of Meghalaya would recognise the BJP’s commitment to the state.
