Meghalaya minister resigns days after 11 of 12 party MLAs join BJP, CM Conrad Sangma's party

Meghalaya minister and United Democratic Party (UDP) president Metbah Lyngdoh resigned from the state Cabinet on Saturday, days after 11 of the party’s 12 MLAs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling National People’s Party (NPP). The defections left him as the UDP’s sole legislator in the state assembly.

The UDP and the NPP, along with the BJP, are part of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), led by chief minister Conrad K Sangma.

Meghalaya minister resigns amid UDP crisis

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Lyngdoh said he had submitted his resignation to Sangma after assessing the political situation and recent developments within the party. He held the portfolios of power, textiles, water resources, and taxation.

Lyngdoh said the UDP’s central executive committee would discuss the developments and decide on the party’s next steps in consultation with its leaders and office-bearers.

Rejecting speculation that he had been forced to resign, the UDP president said the decision was voluntary. “The decisions we have taken today were not made under any form of pressure. We will always ensure that our decisions are well-considered and the right ones,” he said.

The UDP crisis

The resignation followed a series of defections. Eight UDP MLAs merged with the BJP in September, while three others merged with the NPP earlier this month.

The Speaker recognised both mergers, reducing the UDP’s strength from 12 MLAs to one. The BJP’s strength in the 60-member assembly rose from two to 10, leaving the UDP facing an existential crisis.

The party’s political turmoil came amid reported discontent over its leadership and organisational issues.

The developments followed a Cabinet reshuffle in September 2025, when Metbah Lyngdoh and Lahkmen Rymbui replaced senior UDP leaders Paul Lyngdoh and Kyrmen Shylla as the party’s representatives in the state Cabinet.

Paul Lyngdoh pointed to internal divisions and a lack of mutual respect within the party, HT reported earlier. “That respect I did not get in the UDP,” he said, rejecting the suggestion that he had left simply because he lost his Cabinet berth.

The eight MLAs who joined the BJP were Lahkmen Rymbui, Kyrmen Shylla, Pius Marwein, Mayralborn Syiem, Matthew Beyondstar Kurbah, Ollan Singh Suin, Balajied Kupar Synrem and Synshar Kupar Roy Lyngdoh Thabah.

The three who merged with the NPP were Paul Lyngdoh, Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar and Nujorki Sungoh.

The UDP won 12 seats in the 2023 Meghalaya assembly elections, making it the second-largest party in the state.