GUWAHATI: The six-party ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) is at work to form a coalition government again but it is said to be rooting for a new face as the chief minister.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma heads the National People’s Party (NPP) and the MDA. The NPP is likely to emerge as the single largest party.
There are talks going around that while the MDA constituents do not mind coming together again to form a coalition government, they want a replacement for Sangma in the hot seat.
The NPP said on record recently that the elected MLAs would decide on the next CM.
NPP stalwart and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had said, “The party’s newly-elected MLAs will have to sit down, work out and ultimately, take a call on the issue of CM. We will have to respect whatever decision is made.”
Sangma has not said anything about the issue so far. He was not reachable for comment. He met his Assam counterpart and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma at a Guwahati hotel on Tuesday but what transpired there was in the realm of speculations.
The Sangma government went to polls with baggage of corruption charges against it. Not just the smaller parties in the government, but even the BJP pilloried it over alleged graft. During campaigning, Union home minister Amit Shah had said “Meghalaya is the most corrupt state.”
The United Democratic Party, which is a part of the Sangma government, on Thursday said it is open to aligning with any party.