The 13-year political partnership between the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the National People’s Party (NPP) in Meghalaya has come to an end, with the UDP on Tuesday announcing its withdrawal from the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA-II) government. The decision marks a significant shift in the state’s coalition politics, coming days after UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh resigned as a Cabinet minister, leaving the party with just one legislator in the 60-member Assembly.
Announcing the decision after an emergent meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), UDP general secretary Titosstarwell Chyne said the withdrawal followed Metbah Lyngdoh’s resignation and was taken unanimously by the party leadership. He maintained that the former minister had stepped down voluntarily and that the party now intended to reorganise itself and rebuild its political base across constituencies where it had neither an MLA nor an MDC.
“In the CEC of United Democratic Party, we have discussed today regarding the resignation of our President the line MLA of UDP Metbah Lyngdoh as a minister from the cabinet of this present MDA 2 Government. In the mean time the CEC has unanimously decided that once the president and the lone MLA has resigned as cabinet Minister, so the CEC feels it will be better that we withdrew from the Government. The president on his own will have quit the cabinet, there was no pressure, he took the decision after consulting with the party leader last Saturday,” Chyne said.
Explaining the party’s position, Chyne pointed out that the NPP, with 36 MLAs, had sufficient numbers to govern even without the UDP’s support. He said the NPP could also rely on the support of 11 former UDP legislators and two HSPDP MLAs, leaving little political justification for the UDP to remain in the ruling coalition despite its diminished strength in the Assembly.
“As a party we decided to reorganise the party to reach out to those constituency which we have no MLA no MDC. We are positive to reorganise the party. There is no set back we taken decision in one Mind. We have only one MLA and in MDA 2 NPP has 36 MLAs, with the support of our 11 MLAs and HSPDP 2 MLAs, they have good number to run the government,” he added.
