SHILLONG, Oct 11: The political status of the eight former United Democratic Party legislators who joined the BJP rests with Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma, who is examining their merger application and seeking legal counsel before deciding the disqualification petition filed by their former party.
Asked when a decision could be expected, Sangma told The Shillong Times that the matter had reached his office and remained under examination.
“I’m seeking some legal counsel and all,” he said, adding that he would decide once he received the opinions sought. He indicated that the procedure itself was still being studied and offered no timeline.
The eight legislators joined the BJP in New Delhi on September 23, raising the BJP’s strength from two to 10 and cutting the UDP from 12 to four in the 60-member Assembly.
The shift has also altered the internal balance within the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance, of which the BJP is a constituent.
On the same day, the UDP filed a disqualification petition against all eight MLAs, submitted by State Parliamentary Board secretary Allantry Dkhar. Two days later the legislators submitted a merger letter to the Assembly.
With the Speaker then away on a study tour in Malta, the papers were received by Assembly Adviser (Legislation) Andrew Simons. Seven legislators were present; documents relating to Nongpoh MLA Mayralborn Syiem were also included. BJP state president Rikman G. Momin and MLA Sanbor Shullai accompanied them.
Simons confirmed that the necessary papers had been submitted and would be examined under the applicable rules and constitutional provisions.
The UDP had earlier suspended three of the legislators—Kyrmen Shylla, Olan Sing Suin and Matthew Beyondstar Kurbah—for failing to respond to show-cause notices.
The Speaker must now determine whether the claimed merger satisfies the two-thirds requirement and other conditions under the Tenth Schedule.
The case has revived memories of November 2021, when 12 Congress legislators led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma moved to the Trinamool Congress.
Then Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh recognised that merger under paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule and dismissed the Congress disqualification petitions. That decision allowed the breakaway group to remain in the House and elevated the TMC to principal Opposition status while reducing the Congress to five MLAs.
The 2021 precedent does not automatically decide the present case; each matter turns on its own facts and legal arguments.
Road ahead for UDP
Until a decision is taken, neither the disqualification petition nor the merger claim will be resolved.
Even a favourable ruling for the UDP would leave the party with a deeper political problem. The loss of eight of its 12 legislators has intensified existing questions about its leadership, internal cohesion and capacity to remain a significant regional force. Those concerns were already being voiced within the party before the defections.
West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh had criticised the party’s direction, the loss of senior leaders, the breakdown of its alliance with the Hill State People’s Democratic Party and the collapse of the Regional Parties Alliance.
The exodus has given those criticisms greater urgency.
The former legislators have justified their departure by citing assurances on the inclusion of Khasi in the Eighth Schedule, amendments to the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, the coal-mining issue and relocation of Dalit Sikhs from Them Iew Mawlong.
They argue that closer engagement with the BJP’s central leadership will help advance these demands.
The UDP must therefore demonstrate how it intends to pursue the same regional concerns and what distinguishes its approach.
The party must also decide its future stance within the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance. Remaining in the coalition may preserve policy influence but could blur its regional identity. A change of position would require a clear rationale from the surviving leadership.
The disqualification petition may settle the legislative status of the eight former members, but it cannot by itself restore the UDP’s strength or resolve its organisational difficulties.
The party now faces two parallel tasks: pursuing its constitutional challenge and rebuilding a coherent political direction beyond the immediate contest over eight seats.