Meghalaya House hung; BJP certain to be in Nagaland govt
BY Team MP3 March 2018 11:51 PM IST
Team MP3 March 2018 11:51 PM IST
Shillong/ Kohima: The BJP-NDPP alliance failed to secure a majority in Nagaland on Saturday, though with the state throwing up a hung Assembly, the party's participation in the future government looks certain. The ruling NPF, which emerged as the single largest party, extended invitation to the BJP join the new dispensation, though the BJP-NDPP combine may be able to form a government with help from smaller parties like NPP, JD(U) and an independent.
Meghalaya too gave a fractured verdict with the ruling Congress as the single largest party with 21 seats, nine short of a simple majority. The BJP is already in power in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Though the ruling Congress emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya, it failed to secure a majority, winning 21 seats, the party could not open its account in Tripura and Nagaland.
The BJP could win just two seats in Christian-dominated Meghalaya, but its North-East Democratic alliance partner National People's Party clinched 19. Together they equal the Congress's tally. Smaller parties that won 13 seats and three independents would play a decisive role in government formation.
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who was despatched to Shillong to explore ways of forming a Congress-led government, said the party had the support of MLAs necessary to prove majority on the floor of the Assembly. "Congress being the single largest party should be invited by the governor to form its government. We will prove our majority any time the governor asks," he told TV channels in Shillong.
Nagaland also gave a fractured verdict with no party or pre-poll alliance having a majority. The BJP got an informal invitation from NPF leader and Chief Minister T R Zeliang to join the new government. The NPF, is the single largest party in the House with 27 seats. The BJP-NDPP combine has also won 27 seats and are leading in one each.
The NPP of Conrad Sangma, a North-East Democratic alliance partner of the BJP, has won two seats, and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) one. If the BJP-NDPP alliance wins the two seats where their candidates are leading, its tally would go up to 32, two more than the magic figure of 30.
The BJP had parted ways with the NPF just ahead of the polls and joined hands with the newly launched NDPP of three-time former chief minister Neiphiu Rio, also an old Naga People's Front hand.
Zeliang, the NPF leader, said his party continued to be a part of the North-East Democratic alliance led by the BJP and hoped the saffron party will form the new government with it.
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