Guwahati: Five members of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on January 18submitted their resignations in advance of the upcoming assembly elections.
The United Democratic Party will now include the five MLAs who submitted their resignation on Tuesday (UDP). The MLAs who tendered their resignations have been named as PT Sawkmie (a suspended Congress leader), who will now join the UDP, Renikton L. Tongkhar, who left the Hill State People’s Party to join the UDP, Mayralborn Syiem, a suspended Congress MLA, who will now join the UDP, Shitlang Pale, a suspended Trinamool Congress MLA, who will now join the UDP, and Independent candidate Lambor
Meanwhile, the National People’s Party (NPP) claimed on Sunday that it might surpass the halfway point in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly.
In addition to serving as the party’s state president and a Rajya Sabha member, WR Kharlukhi refuted notions that the NPP might struggle in the future elections due to the anti-incumbency issue.
“Instead, there is a solid pro-incumbency sentiment working for the party. I would like to remind you that the NPP defied predictions to sweep all three seats in the November 2021 bye-elections,” he said.
“Our prospects of winning are very bright and we are targeting to cross the halfway mark,” he added.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) asserted that there is a significant anti-incumbency wave affecting the NPP.
Ahead of the Assembly elections, Kharlukhi claimed that the continuous accusations of corruption levelled against the NPP-led administration were nothing more than “political lies and gimmicks.”
“I have never endorsed corruption. But I have always maintained one should go to court or the central agency concerned if one has any evidence. Nothing was done, pointing to mischievous political propaganda,” he said.