Cabinet Minister, 4 MLAs Resign Before Announcement Of Poll Date

Meghalaya Election: Meghalaya’s Public Health Engineering (PHI) Minister Renikton Tongkhar and four other sitting MLAs of the state resigned from the Assembly on Wednesday, hours before the Election Commission announced the polling date. Assembly officials said that apart from Tongkhar, those who resigned include Trinamool Congress MLA Shitalang Palle, suspended Congress MLAs Myralborn Siem and PT Sawkmi and Independent MLA Lambor Malangiang. Sources claimed that the five leaders are going to join the United Democratic Party (UDP).

Assembly commissioner gave information

There are currently 42 members in the Legislative Assembly. “We have received the resignations of five MLAs,” Assembly Commissioner and Secretary Andrew Simmons told PTI. Lyngdoh is the president of the UDP, which is a key constituent of the Konrad Sangma-led government in the state.

When will the polling and counting of votes take place?

National People’s Party supremo Sangma leads the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), a ruling coalition of six parties. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also a part of the MDA, which has two MLAs. As per the schedule announced by the Election Commission, polling will be held in Meghalaya on February 27 and counting of votes will take place on March 2. Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar announced the major dates related to the elections. The term of the 60-member Meghalaya assembly ends on March 15. The total number of voters in the state is close to 21 lakhs.

Amid political defections and resignations of legislators, 18 legislators have resigned as members of the 11th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is part of the six-party Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, has already made the announcement.

Term ends on this day

She will contest this year’s assembly elections on her own. Meanwhile, the National People’s Party (NPP), which will go it alone this time too, said on Sunday that the party could cross the halfway mark in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly. The five-year term of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is about to end on March 15.