The NCP was quick to cobble up a combine called Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) with United Democratic Party (UDP), Hills State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM), BJP and two Independent legislators.

The MPA elected UDP president and former Deputy Chief Minister Donkupar Roy as their leader. Their delegation led by Roy along with HSPDP president Hopingstone Lyngdoh, KHNAM president Paul Lyngdoh and NCP Rajya Sabha MP Robert Kharshiing met Governor S S Sidhu and staked claim to form the Government.

After meeting the governor, Roy said the alliance had the support of 31 legislators in a House with an effective strength of 59 legislators. Besides the 11 UDP legislators, 14 NCP, two HSPDP, one each from KHNAM and BJP, and two Independent legislators — Manas Choudhary and Donbok Massar — two more Independent MLAs from Garo Hills were also likely to join the alliance, he added.

Roy said the MPA had the support of 33 legislators and was the largest group, and the governor should invite the MPA to form the next Government. The MPA had already worked out sharing of ministerial berths and would work out a common minimum programme.

NCP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Robert Kharshiing said Purno A Sangma had decided not to hold any post and had given the chief ministerial berth to the UDP. All the MPA constituents had taken an oath to stick together for the coming five years and provide a stable and strong Government, he added.

The Congress camp was no less upbeat as its team led by outgoing Chief Minister

D D Lapang marched to Raj Bhawan after he was unanimously elected the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader by 25 legislators. “The decision to elect Lapang as CLP leader was unanimous,” said AICC general secretary Ved Prakash.

Lapang was accompanied by MPCC president O L Nongtdu, Ved Prakash, Health Minister of Assam, Hemanta Biswa Sarma and Assam Forest Minister, Rockybull Hussein, along with an AICC observer from New Delhi when he went to meet the governor. They stressed the stability factor which only the Congress could provide.

Lapang told mediapersons that according to the convention, the Governor should invite the Congress to form the next Government since it had the maximum number of legislators in the Eighth Assembly.

On how the Congress proposed to reach the magic figure of 30 MLAs when it had only 25 elected MLAs,

Lapang said, “We are in touch with our friends in politics, and we will prove our majority on the floor of the Assembly.”