Shah has ‘finalised’ entry of UDP MLAs into BJP: Hek

Shillong, Sep 17, (NPN): At least eight of the 12 United Democratic Party (UDP) legislators are set to shift allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a move that will make the party, which currently has only a couple of legislators, the second-largest party in the Meghalaya Assembly.
“It is certain now that eight UDP legislators will be joining the BJP in Meghalaya. We are hoping that one more UDP legislator will join, thus bringing the total number of legislators switching over to the BJP to nine,” senior BJP legislator Alexander Laloo Hek said.
If sources are to be believed, the ninth UDP member who is planning to join the bandwagon of the eight ‘rebel’ UDP legislators is none other than former Tourism Minister and Working President of the UDP, Paul Lyngdoh.
“The UDP legislators are only waiting for the BJP central leadership to finalise the date and time to welcome them into the BJP,” Hek said, confirming that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has finalised the entry of eight UDP legislators into the BJP fold.
Hek, the first and longest-serving BJP legislator in Meghalaya and the North-Eastern states, had recently briefed Union Home Minister and BJP second-in-command Amit Shah on the political development in the state.
Former UDP minister Kyrmen Shylla confirmed that he, along with other party legislators, will be joining the BJP once the central BJP leadership finalises the date for their joining.
“Eight of us (UDP legislators) are confirmed to merge with the BJP, and the number could rise to nine. We are only waiting for the central BJP leadership to fix the date of our joining,” he said.
Shylla said the eight UDP legislators have decided to join the BJP after Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured that their demands would be addressed before the 2028 assembly elections.
The major demands of the ‘rebel’ UDP legislators include constitutional recognition of Khasi language, issues relating to coal mining, relocation of the Harijan Colony from Them Iew Mawlong to another place in Shillong, implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA).
Hek affirmed that the BJP would “fully back” the ‘rebel’ UDP legislators’ key demands, including implementation of the MRSSA and inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eight Schedule to the constitution, which, he said were “genuine issues” for the state.
Reacting to speculation regarding power-sharing and the post of the Deputy Chief Minister, Hek, a former minister himself, emphasised that such decisions remain the prerogative of the Chief Minister and depend on the wisdom of the BJP’s national leadership.
Hek also expressed firm confidence that a BJP-led government would be formed in Meghalaya by 2028.
“Our goal is not merely to be a participant in Meghalaya’s politics, but to provide strong, stable, and accountable leadership through a government of our own, rooted in the aspirations and interests of the people of Meghalaya,” the veteran BJP leader reiterated.
Both the UDP and the BJP are allies in the NPP-led MDA 2.0 government. The NPP is commanding a majority with 33 MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly.
At present, the regional party, UDP is the second largest party in the state Assembly with 12 legislators.
If the merger of the eight UDP legislators with the BJP goes through within the ambit of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, it will propel the BJP to a 10-seat tally, replacing the UDP as the second-largest party in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly.
Interestingly, UDP President Metbah Lyngdoh, who is also a cabinet minister in Conrad Sangma-led ministry, maintained that party remains “intact”.
“For me, I consider it like this, it is neither true nor false. So, it is half truth, I should say,” Lyngdoh said, describing the reports of the eight UDP legislators as “speculation”.
Moreover, he said that his party legislators had not made their intentions clear on whether or when they would join another political party.
“So far from them also, they have not been able to be very clear whether they will join today, join tomorrow or not. So, let’s wait for the time only,” the UDP president said.