National People’s Party (NPP) National President and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has expressed disappointment over the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) decision to withdraw from the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), describing the political separation as painful, while maintaining that he had never wanted the regional party to walk out of the coalition.
The political development marks a significant turn in Meghalaya’s coalition politics, particularly given the UDP’s crucial role in bringing Conrad Sangma to the Chief Minister’s chair following the 2018 Assembly elections. At the time, the NPP had emerged as the single largest party with 20 seats, and although Prestone Tynsong was initially being considered for the Chief Minister’s post, it was the late UDP chief Dr Donkupar Roy who proposed Conrad Sangma, then the Tura MP and national president of the NPP, for the top post. Eight years later, the UDP, once a kingmaker, has walked out of the MDA government after a series of defections reduced its strength in the Assembly. “Yes, I am pained by the exit of UDP from MDA coalition and this is not something that we chose it should happen,” Conrad Sangma said, adding that he had a “very special connection” with UDP leaders and had wished they would remain in the coalition.
Explaining the circumstances behind the withdrawal, Sangma said the changed political arithmetic following the exit of several UDP legislators had made it difficult to justify the party’s continued representation in the Cabinet. “It was a decision that they took at their level,” he said, maintaining that neither the ministerial resignation nor the withdrawal of support was initiated by the NPP. “It is not something that I as a NPP president have asked them to,” he said, expressing hope that personal and political engagement between the two parties would continue despite their separation.
Responding to former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Dr Mukul Sangma’s allegations that the NPP was poaching legislators through inducements, the NPP president denied any coercion in the defections. Referring to eight former UDP MLAs joining the BJP and three of the remaining four joining the NPP, he said, “It was a decision that was made at their own level and with decision that they made without any pressure or any kind of force from our side.” He added, “They have willingly and happily join National People’s Party.” The defections have significantly strengthened the NPP’s position, leaving the UDP with just one MLA and reshaping Meghalaya’s political landscape ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
