Shillong, March 8: NPP legislator from North Tura Thomas Sangma is all set to be elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Thomas filed his nomination on Tuesday.
His candidature was proposed by Ampareen Lyngdoh and Marthon Sangma from the NPP and Paul Lyngdoh and Mayralborn Syiem from the UDP.
“Since there is no other nomination, Thomas will be formally elected on the 9th this Month in a special session in the House,” Assembly’s Commissioner & Secretary Andrew Simons had told reporters.
This was after the opposition parties decided not to field candidates for the election to the Speaker’s post.
The MDA-II government has the support of 45 MLAs of which 26 are from NPP, 11 UDP, 2 BJP, 2 HSPDP, 2 PDF and 2 Independents.
The opposition bench, on the other hand, has a strength of 14 members which includes 5 – Congress, 5 – All India Trinamool Congress, and 4 – Voice of the People Party.
Speaking over the phone on Wednesday, VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said that his party has decided not to field a candidate for the Speaker’s post because “we don’t have the number”.
