Meghalaya’s last Congress MLA abandons ship to join NPP: ‘My supporters’ wish’

“I had received the letter of resignation from the Opposition Chief Whip Ronnie Lyngdoh Tuesday, and I received his letter Wednesday stating his desire to merge with the NPP… I have found the letter submitted to be valid and it satisfies all the criteria under the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. I have accepted his application and given my recognition, and he is recognised as a member of the NPP with immediate effect,” said Sangma.

Last year, Congress MLAs in the state had dropped from five to four after Gambegre MLA Saleng Sangma was elected to the Lok Sabha – his assembly seat was later won in a by-election by NPP candidate and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s wife Mehtab Chandee. In August, three of the remaining Congress MLAs – Celestine Lyngdoh, Charles Marngar and Gabriel Wahlang – joined the NPP, and Speaker Sangma had notified that it was a permitted “merger” as opposed to defection since the MLAs jumping ship had accounted for two-third of the Congress MLAs.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Lyngdoh claimed that his move was not because “of my wish” and that it was because of the opinion of his “supporters.”

“My supporters believe that the best option for my constituency is to join the NPP… I have joined without any precondition except stability and development in Meghalaya,” he said.

His entry has further consolidated the position of the NPP, which leads a coalition government in the state and had to form a patchwork alliance after the 2023 election where it had emerged as the single largest party but had not received a simple majority, and it now has 33 out of 60 MLAs in the house.