Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh on Thursday, 23 December, recognised the merger of 12 Congress MLAs with the Trinamool Congress (TMC), a month after the legislators led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma switched their alliance.
The Speaker also rejected a petition by the Congress to disqualify the lawmakers.
"After examining in detail all the 12 petitions filed by the petitioner M Ampareen Lyngdoh – a Congress MLA, and the comments received from all the 12 respondents, under the 10th Schedule to the Constitution does not attract disqualification," the Speaker said in his order.
Another notification issued by Andrew Simons, Commissioner and Secretary of the Meghalaya Assembly, said the Speaker recognised all the 12 individuals as TMC members.
Congress leader Ampareen Lyngdoh had earlier said they have decided to support the National People's' Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government on the aspect of governance in the greater interest of the people of Meghalaya.
"The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has decided to focus on all the important agenda together with the government in the interest of the people," CLP leader Lyngdoh had said, adding that they had communicated their decision to the Chief Minister last week.
The BJP, along with two MLAs, and several other local parties are the partners of Meghalaya's MDA government headed by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who is also the president of the NPP, the dominant party of the MDA government.
With the latest development in the northeastern state, the Trinamool Congress has now officially got legislators in Meghalaya after West Bengal, where the party is in power since 2011.
TMC sources said that the party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee would visit Meghalaya after Christmas (25 December).
After this year's West Bengal assembly election success, Mamata Banerjee has been trying to expand her party's footprint beyond Bengal.
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