Shillong, Oct 19: Three legislators from Meghalaya’s United Democratic Party (UDP) have merged with the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), with senior MLA Renikton L. Tongkhar citing the failure of past efforts to unite regional parties as a key reason behind the move.
Tongkhar, who represents Mawkyrwat, was joined by Paul Lyngdoh of West Shillong and Nujorki Sungoh of Mowkaiaw in the merger. The three legislators met Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma on Monday in Shillong following the decision.
Tongkhar said despite attempts to bring regional parties together under the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) had failed to achieve their objective. He argued that the NPP offered a platform combining national recognition with leadership rooted in the region.
“We tried, and we have done the best we can to unite the regional parties… in the name of RDA, we tried our best, but you have also seen that we failed. So, that’s why we have seen that if we really want to strengthen our political party, which is the party led by our people, the only scope and the only chance is only the NPP,” Tongkhar said.
He added, “And I’m proud to say that NPP, it’s a party—a national party which has the identity nationally, but it’s led by our people from here, and I’m so proud of it.”
The merger has implications for the UDP’s strength in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and the ruling NPP’s position in the state’s political landscape.
The three legislators constitute three-fourths of the UDP’s four-member legislative wing. Under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, a merger is protected from disqualification when at least two-thirds of a legislature party’s members agree to it, subject to the applicable constitutional requirements.
With the three legislators moving to the NPP, the UDP’s legislative presence has been reduced to one MLA, further reshaping the balance among regional parties in the 60-member Assembly.
The development also strengthens the NPP’s position in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government led by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma. Tongkhar’s remarks indicate that the legislators see the NPP as a means of pursuing regional political aspirations through a party with a national presence.
