GUWAHATI: In fast-paced developments on the day of election results, BJP in the late evening gave a letter of support to NPP to form the new government in Meghalaya. This followed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma saying that BJP national president JP Nadda has advised the state unit in Meghalaya to support the NPP.
Earlier in the day, when it became clear that the elections have thrown in a hung assembly in the state, Conrad K Sangma of the National People’s Party (NPP) lost no time to establish fresh relations with BJP. He dialled Union home minister Amit Shah to secure support for the new government.
Considering that 59 of the 60 seats went to polls, the NPP-BJP combine will need the support of 30 MLAs for the moment to form a coalition government. The two parties together have 28 seats, two less than the majority mark of 30. The majority mark will become 31 if any other party wins the by-election to one seat which did not go to polls after the death of the NPP candidate.
The NPP bagged 26 seats, seven more than its 2018 tally of 19, while the BJP repeated its 2018 performance by winning two seats. The two parties will now need the support of at least three MLAs of other parties to form a coalition government in the 60-member House.
They have the options of going to Hills State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), United Democratic Party (UDP) and Voice of the People Party (VPP). While the HSPDP has won two seats, UDP has 11 in its kitty. VPP, a newly-floated party, bagged four seats. The HSPDP and UDP are a part of NPP-led ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance. Sangma thanked the people of the state for having reposed their faith in the NPP. “As we are short of the majority mark, we will discuss and decide how to go forward,” he said.
Coalition govt in the offing
The two parties, which together have 28 seats, will need the support of at least three MLAs of other parties to be able to form a coalition government in the 60-member House
