In the backdrop of the first cabinet reshuffle under the MDA 2 dispensation, newly inducted Cabinet Minister and BJP legislator Sanbor Shullai on Wednesday reaffirmed that his elevation was not a stroke of chance but a result of a meticulously crafted seat-sharing arrangement inked in 2023 between him and senior BJP leader A.L. Hek. The pact, he asserted, was not merely an internal party understanding but a binding political covenant endorsed by the highest echelons of the BJP, both in Shillong and Delhi, and honoured in letter and spirit by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
“I am happy because my turn has come based on the official agreement that we have signed on the day one of the forming the MDA 2 Government. From our party, myself and A.L. Hek, in presence of our former president Ernest Mawrie, we had signed an agreement. So the party has given A.L. Hek to join the Government as a Minister in the first half, that is for two and half years, and me after two and half years. The agreement has been honoured by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and also the party high command in Delhi and also the incharge of Meghalaya Anil Anthony,” Shullai declared.
Shullai’s induction after two and half years is a demonstration of the BJP’s adherence to coalition politics and its resolve to enforce internal parity within the MDA 2 Government. Yet, the larger political question remains unanswered—is A.L. Hek truly content with this transition? Time and again, the senior legislator has sidestepped comments on the agreement, leaving room for speculation about his satisfaction with the arrangement
