Guwahati: A party that once decided who governed Meghalaya is now down to a single MLA. Three of the United Democratic Party's four remaining legislators have moved to merge with the ruling National People's Party (NPP), capping a collapse that has taken the regional outfit from 12 seats to one in under a month.
Paul Lyngdoh (West Shillong), Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar (Mawkyrwat) and Nujorki Sungoh (Mookaiaw) submitted a merger application to Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma on Monday, along with the resolutions they had adopted. The UDP responded the same day by expelling all three. "With powers vested in me as president of the UDP, I hereby expel the three of you from the primary membership of the party," UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh, also the state's Power Minister, wrote to the trio.
Speaker Sangma said he would seek a legal opinion before deciding, and cautioned against treating the merger as a formality. "I shall seek a legal opinion and communicate my decision within the next few days," he said, noting this was the fifth merger application of his tenure. Once recognised, the NPP's strength in the 60-member House will rise to 36 from 33.
The move follows the September 23 defection of eight UDP MLAs to the BJP in New Delhi, a merger the Speaker recognised on October 16. That lifted the BJP from two seats to 10, making it the second-largest partner in the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, and left the UDP with four MLAs. The disqualification petition filed by Metbah Lyngdoh against the eight was rejected on procedural grounds.
Senior BJP leader and Pynthorumkhrah MLA A.L. Hek called the latest switch no surprise. "We knew from the beginning that they were going to join the NPP," he said, adding the MDA remains intact. With Metbah Lyngdoh the sole survivor, the UDP has lost its numbers, its leverage and much of its identity. The next Assembly election is due in early 2028.