Meghalaya Speaker Approves Merger Of 12 Rebel Congress MLAs With Trinamool

Meghalaya speaker Metbah Lyngdoh today rejected Congress's disqualification petition against 12 rebel party MLAs who had recently switched over to the Trinamool Congress and gave recognition to the merger. Trinamool has now become the main opposition party in Meghalaya. 

Mr Lyngdoh had issued notices to the 12 MLAs after the Congress filed a petition seeking their disqualification from the assembly under rules of the tenth schedule of the Constitution.

Asserting that their merger with Trinamool Congress was constitutional, 10 turncoat MLAs from Congress had filed individual replies to Mr Lyngdoh, urging him not to disqualify them.

After receiving the response from the MLAs, the speaker approved their merger with the Trinamool Congress.

"I am satisfied that the merger of the 12 members of INC is valid and does not attract disqualification. I do not find any merit in the submissions made in the petitions filed by Ampareen Lyngdoh, and therefore, the same is hereby dismissed," speaker Metbah Lyngdoh said in an order issued on December 23.

Congress has now been left with just five MLAs in the state.

On November 25, Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma along with 11 other Congress MLAs joined Trinamool Congress, making it the principal opposition party in the 60-member House.

Mr Sangma had said that Congress had failed to work as an effective opposition party in the state. Vincent Pala being made Meghalaya Congress chief is said to be the tipping point for Mr Sangma and his rebel colleagues to switch sides.

"This is a culmination of our long analysis and due diligence as to how best we can serve our people and the nation... In 2018, we became the single-largest party, but for reasons known to all of us we could not form the government," Mr Sangma had said. 

The Meghalaya Trinamool Congress was formally launched in 2012 with an intention to contest from 35 of the state's 60 seats.