UDP Chief Metbah Lyngdoh Quits as Meghalaya Cabinet Minister After 11 of Party's 12 MLAs Leave, Leaving Him Its Lone Legislator

United Democratic Party (UDP) president Metbah Lyngdoh on Saturday resigned as a cabinet minister in Chief Minister Conrad Sangma's NPP-led MDA government in Meghalaya, with immediate effect, saying he could no longer continue after 11 party MLAs left the UDP, leaving him as its lone legislator in the 60-seat Assembly. A party meeting on November 3 will decide whether the UDP keeps supporting the government.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk31 October 20264 min readRead in all 3 languages

Shillong, Oct 31 — United Democratic Party (UDP) president Metbah Lyngdoh on Saturday stepped down as a cabinet minister in the Conrad Sangma-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, citing the exodus of 11 MLAs that has left him as the lone legislator of his party, the Meghalaya Times reported.

Source: Meghalaya Times

"After 11 MLAs have left me as a lone MLA and the party, after very thorough and careful consideration I have taken the decision that I will not be able to continue as Cabinet Minister in the MDA government. Today I have placed my resignation letter to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma with immediate effect," Lyngdoh told reporters, according to the Meghalaya Times and Meghalaya Daily.

Source: Meghalaya Daily

Lyngdoh had been holding the portfolios of Power, Water Resources, Taxation and Textiles since September last year, both reports said.

The UDP had 12 MLAs and was a key partner in the National People's Party (NPP)-led alliance. Over the past six weeks, 11 of them have left — eight joined the BJP in September, a move the Assembly Speaker recognised as a merger in mid-October, and three more joined the NPP this month, taking the ruling party's strength to 36 in the 60-seat Assembly and leaving Lyngdoh, the Mairang MLA, as the UDP's only member, NE Insider reported.

Source: NE Insider

Lyngdoh said the resignation was his own decision, taken after carefully assessing the political situation, and rejected suggestions that he had been pushed to quit. "I will never take any decision under pressure because under pressure you will make lots of mistakes," he said, according to the reports.

He said resigning as minister was the first decision, and whether the UDP continues to support the MDA government or sits in the Opposition would be decided after discussion within the party. The UDP's Central Executive Committee is likely to meet on November 3 to decide the party's future course of action, the reports said. He said he expected the Chief Minister to accept his resignation, and declined to comment on whether MDA partners had backstabbed the UDP by poaching its MLAs.

Sources