Reports Say Eight UDP MLAs May Join BJP, Shifting Assembly Arithmetic

Overview

• Media reports say a group of eight of the United Democratic Party’s 12 MLAs is in talks to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, which would raise the BJP’s strength from two to ten and reduce the UDP to four.
• There has been no formal announcement or completed merger and party sources describe the discussions as early stage rather than finalised.
• The eight‑member figure equals two‑thirds of the UDP legislature party, a threshold that can qualify a move as a legal merger under India’s anti‑defection law and protect members from individual disqualification.
• If the bloc does shift, the change would likely trigger fresh negotiations inside the NPP‑led MDA‑II coalition over Cabinet posts and portfolios and could put UDP minister Lahkmen Rymbui’s position at risk.
• Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the Chief Minister’s advice, so a party switch would not automatically preserve ministerial jobs; observers say the next steps to watch are any formal merger notice, defection petitions, or a reworked power sharing deal.