Ritika
Shillong. National People’s Party (NPP) President Konrad K. Sangma on Monday said his party would have eight ministers in the next government in Meghalaya headed by him, while allies would get four ministerial berths. Outgoing Chief Minister Sangma told reporters after a meeting with coalition partners that the UDP, an ally of the NPP, would have two ministers, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Hill State Peoples Democratic Party (HSPDP) would get one ministerial berth each.
As per rules, Meghalaya, which has a 60-member assembly, cannot have more than 12 ministers, including the chief minister. The NPP president is scheduled to take oath as chief minister on Tuesday. He has the support of 45 MLAs. Sangma has staked claim to form the government in the northeastern state.
Sangma said, “During the meeting of NPP-led alliance partners, the first decision taken unanimously is that it will be called Meghalaya ‘Democratic Alliance 2.0’ as the partners are the same. The chief minister will be the chairman of the alliance.” He said that the distribution of cabinet seats among the coalition partners has also been finalised.
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“Out of the 12-member cabinet, eight ministers will be from NPP, while two ministerial berths will go to UDP and one each to HSPDP and BJP,” Sangma said.
He said that the name of the candidate for the post of the chairman of the ruling coalition would be announced after further consultations with the allies. The newly elected members of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Speaker Pro Tem Timothy D. Shira on Monday. (agency)
