In a late night development on Saturday, senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath met Governor Ganga Prasad requesting him to invite the party to form the new government in Meghalaya.
The Congress emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya winning 21 of the 59 Assembly seats that had gone to the polls. The Congress is still short of ten seats to get an absolute majority in the 60-member Assembly.
“We are the single largest party and we should be invited to form the Government," Mr. Patel said.
Four senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath, Mukul Wasnik and C.P. Joshi are in Meghalaya to ensure that the party in able to form the government. A meeting of the newly elected legislators is scheduled on Sunday where the leader of the Congress legislature party will be elected.
Meanwhile, the National People's Party (NPP) is also scheduled to have a meeting during the day to decide on its strategy. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Himanta Biswa Sarma arrived in Shillong late on Saturday evening.
He said that the NPP should take lead to form a non-Congress government and added that the BJP is trying to forge an alliance with the NPP and the United Democratioc Party (UDP), both allies to the BJP in the North East Democratic Alliance ( NEDA). Mr. Sarma, who is the convener of the NEDA, along with Union Tourism Minister K,J, Alphons, will also meet the Governor later in the day.
"Our role will be that of a facilitator. The mandate is clearly against the Congress and Chief Minister Mukul Sangma,” Mr. Sarma noted.
While Congress Chief Minister Mukul Sagma is all set to be elected as leader of the newly elected MLAs, in the NPP, daughter of P.A. Sangma and former MP Agatha Sangma is likely to emerge as the front runner.
COMMents
SHARE