With Its Lone MLA Joining NPP, Congress Now Zero In Meghalaya Assembly

In a major political development, Mylliem MLA Ronnie V. Lyngdoh officially resigned from the Indian National Congress on Wednesday, marking yet another blow to the party in Meghalaya.

Lyngdoh submitted his resignation to Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, former Mylliem legislator Hamletson Dohling, and National People’s Party (NPP) leader Daniel M. Thangkhiew. His move paves the way for him to formally join the ruling NPP, further bolstering its strength in the state legislature.

With Lyngdoh’s shift, he becomes the fourth Congress legislator to defect to the NPP in recent months. Earlier, on August 19, 2024, Congress MLAs Dr. Celestine Lyngdoh, Gabriel Wahlang, and Charles Marngar had also joined the NPP. Their merger was recognized by the Speaker under the provisions of the Tenth Schedule, which permits such moves when backed by a two-thirds majority.

The inclusion of Ronnie V. Lyngdoh now brings the NPP’s tally to 33 MLAs, making it the single largest party in the 60-member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. This political realignment leaves the Congress without any representation in the House — a significant fall for the party that once held considerable influence in the state.

The development highlights the continuing fragmentation of the Congress in the Northeast, where defections and party switches have become increasingly common in recent years.

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