Four of the five Congress legislators who quit today were part of the state cabinet earlier (File)
In a big setback for Meghalaya's ruling Congress just ahead of assembly elections, five of its legislators have resigned to join BJP ally the National People's Party (NPP). Those who have quit today include a former Deputy Chief Minister, Rowell Lyngdoh.
The Congress legislators, along with a United Democratic Party MLA and two Independents who supported the Congress government, resigned from the assembly and will join the NPP at a public rally on Thursday next, January 4, Mr Rowell said, blaming "the autocratic style of functioning" of chief minister Mukul Sangma for their decision.
The NPP, founded by former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma, is a member of the BJP-led national alliance NDA and also part of the BJP-led government in Manipur.
The Congress which had 30 MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly, now has 24. Earlier this month, a legislator it had suspended, Pynshngian N Syiem, resigned from the assembly to join the newly-floated People's Democratic Front (PDF).
Mr Syiem, who is also a chief executive member of the Khasi Hill Autonomous District Council, was suspended by the Congress for "anti-party activities" in October 2016.
Four of the five Congress legislators who quit today were part of the state cabinet earlier and were sacked by the chief minister for what he called "incompetence."
The Congress has been in power in Meghalaya for 15 years and the BJP is looking to add the state to its fast-growing kitty of north eastern states. Its chief strategist in the North East, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has put together rainbow alliances with regional parties to win Assam last year and to form government in Manipur this year.
The party has decided to use the same strategy in Meghalaya to dislodge the Congress, Mr Sarma's party of many years before he switched to the BJP months before the Assam elections, alleging that he had been humiliated by Rahul Gandhi, who took over as Congress president this month.
Two days after Mr Gandhi took charge of the party, the Congress lost the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections to the BJP. Next up are Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland, where elections will be held by March this year.
While the BJP is part of the ruling coalition in Nagaland, it is looking to wrest Tripura from the Left and Meghalaya from the Congress. Apart from an anti-incumbency sentiment, Mukul Sangma also faces strong dissidence within the party.