Meghalaya: UDP quits Conrad Sangma's MDA-II government after defections leave it with one MLA
The regional party, once the alliance's second-largest force with 12 MLAs, will sit in opposition; the NPP's own numbers keep the government safe.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) on Tuesday pulled out of Meghalaya's ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA-II) and withdrew support from Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma's government, after a wave of defections reduced the regional party to a single legislator.
The decision was taken unanimously at a meeting of the party's Central Executive Committee in Shillong, UDP general secretary Titosstarwell Chyne said. He said there was no justification for the party to keep backing the government and that it would now sit in the opposition.
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From 12 MLAs to one
The UDP joined the coalition in 2023 with 12 MLAs, making it the second-largest force in the alliance. Over the past two months, its legislators have left in batches, and its president Metbah Lyngdoh is now its only MLA. Lyngdoh resigned as a cabinet minister on Saturday, 31 October, giving up portfolios including power and taxation.
Chyne said Lyngdoh had stepped down on his own and was under no pressure. He said the party would use the time to rebuild in constituencies where it has no MLA or district council member, and would be free to speak out on public issues as an independent party.
Government's numbers and Sangma's response
The exit does not threaten the government. Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) holds 36 seats in the 60-member Assembly on its own, above the majority mark of 31, according to UNI. Chyne himself acknowledged the NPP and its remaining allies had enough numbers to govern.
Sangma has rejected suggestions that the NPP set out to weaken its partners. Speaking before the UDP's announcement, he said legislators who had moved to the NPP from the UDP and other parties did so by their own choice. "It's not about wiping out anybody," he said, adding that political stability was essential for good governance. He acknowledged the NPP also wanted to expand ahead of the 2028 Assembly election.
Why it matters
The UDP's departure ends a partnership with the NPP that dates back to the first MDA government in 2018, and leaves the NPP more dominant than ever in Meghalaya. It also means the state's ruling side has absorbed much of the regional opposition, a trend that could reshape the contest in 2028 and is being watched across the Northeast, where coalition politics often decides who governs.
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