Will form a non-BJP govt: Rival Sangma

SHILLONG: Anxious to hold on to one of its last citadels in the north-east, Congress is pulling out all stops to retain power in Meghalaya.
With Congress emerging as the largest party in the mountain state with 21 seats — down from 29 in 2013, and 10 short of a simple majority — chief minister Mukul Sangma is now counting on the “secular” factor to help him make the numbers that would see him get another tenure as the CM. Returning to the state capital from Garo Hills on Saturday with an AICC team comprising Ahmed Patel, Kamal Nath and Mukul Wasnik, Sangma told TOI, “We are looking to form a non-BJP, secular coalition and we are in talks with like-minded friends.”

With a fractured mandate in the state, the regional parties, which have 13 seats among themselves, will play a major role.

Significantly, United Democratic Party (UDP), which has six seats, is part of the North-East Democratic Alliance, a coalition formed in 2016 by BJP and regional parties. What could work against Congress is the 19 seats with the Conrad Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP). An ally of BJP at the Centre, Rajasthan and Manipur, NPP has emerged as the second largest party and is likely to join hands with non-Congress parties.