Meghalaya Minister Quits After MLAs Join BJP And Conrad Sangma's Party

Once  considered as a kingmaker political party in Meghalaya, the United Democratic Party (UDP) is now facing a huge existential crisis as political defections have finally reached the UDP's top leadership. The first casualty of the party's dramatic collapse is its own president.

With 11 of its 12 MLAs having walked out of the party, UDP president Metbah Lyngdoh on Saturday resigned as Cabinet minister in the Conrad K Sangma-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government after serving in the cabinet for over a year.

Metbah, who is also a former speaker of Meghalaya assembly, has resigned citing the changed political circumstances as his cause of exit with eight MLAs switching over to the BJP and three to the NPP.

Metbah said he could no longer continue as a minister when his party had been reduced to a single MLA in the assembly. It was once the single-largest regional party in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region of Meghalaya.

Announcing his decision, Metbah said the changing political situation had made it difficult for him to continue as a cabinet minister.

"Due to the current political scenario arising in the state, where 11 MLAs of UDP has left me as lone MLA in the party. I decided I will not be able to cabinet minister in the MDA government, so therefore, today I have placed my resignation to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. My resignation is effective immediately. This is first decision of the party, other decision will follow."

UDP had won 12 seats in the 2023 assembly elections and emerged as the single-largest party in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills region. However, within three years, it has seen an extraordinary exodus of legislators.

His resignation is the first step in what he indicated could be a series of decisions by the party as it confronts the consequences of the mass defection.