Overview
- Eight former United Democratic Party MLAs formally joined the BJP in New Delhi, boosting the BJP’s strength in the 60-seat Meghalaya Assembly to ten and cutting the UDP’s tally to four.
- Local media and unnamed political sources report the new BJP legislators are pressing for three ministerial berths, including a Deputy Chief Minister claim and specific portfolios, but those demands have not been confirmed by officials.
- NPP state president Prestone Tynsong and party spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla have denied any agreement with the BJP to accommodate the defectors in the Cabinet.
- Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma explicitly ruled out any immediate Cabinet expansion or reshuffle and said the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance remains stable and committed to the NDA framework.
- The defections follow a recent setback for the NPP in Nagaland where its MLAs merged with the NPF, and the coming days will show whether the BJP presses formal portfolio demands or the coalition maintains its current composition.