New Delhi: An ally of the BJP, the National People’s Party (NPP) which bagged 19 seats, today claimed to form the government in Meghalaya with the support of 15 MLAs belonging to other regional parties.

In recently concluded three-state elections, Meghalaya threw up a hung Assembly. Faced with anti-incumbency and desertion ahead of the February 27 elections, the Congress failed to secure majority winning 21 seats only in the 60-member House.

NPP which has claimed to form the government has got 19 seats. United Democratic Party(UDP) which is going to extend support to NPP has 6 MLAs. BJP has 2 MLAs. There are 3 independents. 2 MLAs from Hill State People’s Democratic Party. 1 MLA from Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement, 1 MLA from Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) and 3 MLAs from People’s Democratic Front in 60-member house.

While Meghalaya has an Assembly of 60, the effective strength is 58, as election was not held on one seat due to the death of a candidate while Mukul Sangma, who won from two seats, will have to vacate one.

While the NPP has 19 MLAs, the UDP has six, the HSPDP 2, the BJP 2 and the PDF four. The Independent who is supporting them is Samuel M Sangma.

The Congress got left behind despite its 21 MLAs. The party had rushed its top leaders Ahmed Patel, C P Joshi, Mukul Wasnik and Kamal Nath to Shillong, but could not swing the regional parties, which held the key for government formation, its way.

NPP leader Conrad Sangma today staked claim to form the government. His oath taking is likely to take place on March 6. Conrad had earlier meeting with BJP’s strategy man Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Meanwhile Chief Minister Mukul Sangma tendered his resignation to Governor Ganga Prasad today, a day after the Congress failed to secure majority in the Assembly elections.

The governor accepted the resignation and asked Sangma to be in charge till a new government is formed, a Raj Bhavan official said.

Sangma won both the seats he contested. He retained his Ampati seat for the fifth time, defeating the BJP candidate by over 8,000 votes. He also won from Songsak, defeating the NPP contestant by over 1,300 votes.

With BJP allies forming government in Meghalaya, Congress is set to lose another state. Out of three states that went to election, BJP+ is going to form government in all three.

DeshGujarat