Sangma resorts to SC against Meghalaya governor's decision

The formation of government in Meghalaya by Congress echoed in the capital on Tuesday when NCP leader P A Sangma filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the state governor’s decision to call Congress to form the government.

The days after the result announced for the Meghalaya’s assembly poll has been full of turmoil with the Congress and a new anti-Congress umbrella formed under Meghalaya Progressive Alliance’s (MPA) filing suit for making a government before the governor.

•   E-mail Article
•   Printer Friendly
•   Text-Size    

The move followed by the swear of senior Congress leader and caretaker chief minister D D Lapang as the new chief minister of eighth Meghalaya Assembly on Monday and which culminated on Tuesday with the NCP leader P A Sangma, who resorted to Supreme Court against the Governor’s action to invite Congress.

Senior solicitor Soli Sorabjee claimed before a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan that the NCP-led Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) had the support of 31 of the 60-member House. But, the Governor has invited Congress-the party with a lesser number of MLAs to form the government. The bench posted the matter for Wednesday.

P A Sangma, the NCP leader, and the leader of the second highest party after the Congress in Meghalaya challenged the newly sworn-in Chief Minister of state D D Lapang to prove the majority in the floor of the House.

Meghalaya governor S S Sidhu, who was in thrust with the unenviable job of inviting the right combination to form a stable state government, had invited Congress on Monday to form the government. Sidhu invited the 25-member Congress instead of combination of assorted parties claiming strength of 31 in the member of 60-member legislatures.

The governor had given 10 days to Chief Minister Lapang to prove his majority on the floor of the house. The Congress party presently has 25 legislators.

Tug of War

The formation of government in Meghalaya was looking undoubtedly clear by the 25-member Congress party-the largest in the state. But, the veteran NCP leader played the trump card and struck a power sharing deal with the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the two regional small parties and the two independent legislators in its fold.

Quickly, Sangma formed the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) headed by UDP leader Donkupar Roy with UDP’s 11 member, Hill State People’s Democratic Party’s (HSPDP) 2 member, and one each from the Khun Hynnieutrip National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It also succeeded in getting the support of two independents.

Last government

In the last government the UDP was a partner in the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government. In the eighth assembly election however, there was no pre-poll alliance formed between the Congress and the UDP.