SHILLONG: Politics in the northeastern state of Meghalaya took a U-turn after 8 UDP MLAs joined the BJP in New Delhi on September 23. The eight legislators from the United Democratic Party (UDP) formally switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party during a joining ceremony held in the national capital on September 23.
This move could reshape the power equations in Meghalaya’s Assembly.
The MLAs who switched are Lahkmen Rymbui (Amlarem), Kyrmen Shylla (Khliehriat), Balajied Kupar Synrem (Shella), Shynshar Kupar L. Thabah, Pius Marweiñ (Ranikor), Mathew Beyondstar Kurbah (Mawphlang), Mayraldborn Syiem (Nongpoh), and Ollan Sing Suin (Mawsynram).
With this fresh induction, the BJP’s tally in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly has jumped to 10 MLAs, adding to the party’s existing legislators, Sanbor Shullai and A.L. Hek. With this, the BJP positioned itself as the second-largest party in the 60-seat Meghalaya assembly after the ruling NPP. The development is also significant because the party is entering a state where Christians form the overwhelming majority of the population. In this demographic, the BJP has historically struggled to build a strong political base.
Not a sudden development
Lahkmen Rymbui, a minister in the Conrad Sangma cabinet, told reporters that the switchover is not sudden but the result of months of internal deliberations. He said the group of legislators had held extensive discussions on a range of issues concerning Meghalaya and eventually concluded that the Centre was better positioned to help resolve some of the state’s long-pending demands.
According to Rymbui, talks with the BJP’s central leadership revolved around key regional concerns — including the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, enforcement of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), resumption of coal mining activities in the state, and the sensitive matter of relocating the Harijan community from Them Iew Mawlong.
Landmark moment for Northeast politics
Speaking at the joining ceremony, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, described the development as a milestone not just for the Northeast but for national politics as a whole.
“This is a big political development not only for the Northeast but for the country as well. I welcome all eight MLAs from the Meghalaya Assembly into the BJP family,” Rijiju said, adding that the legislators had been drawn to the party after witnessing the pace of development in the region under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership over the past 12 years.
Rijiju also used the occasion to take a swipe at the previous Congress-led dispensation, arguing that the Northeast had long been treated as a neglected and distant part of the country. He pointed out that barring Assam, which sends 14 MPs to Parliament, most Northeastern states have only one or two representatives in the Lok Sabha a factor, he claimed, that often left the region’s voice unheard in national politics.
“We have endured humiliation under the Congress regime,” Rijiju alleged, claiming that chief ministers from Northeastern states were frequently belittled and told to speak less simply because they represented states with fewer MPs and MLAs.
A strategic gain for BJP
The development is considered a big win for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This will help the party immensely in its ambitions in Meghalaya. In a state where over 75 per cent of the population follows Christianity, BJP’s big jump looks like nothing less than a political milestone. Although the BJP was part of the ruling coalition in the state, its new strength in the Assembly will help it advance its political ambitions.
By absorbing eight sitting MLAs, several of whom hold ministerial responsibilities, the BJP has not only strengthened its numbers in the Assembly but also gained a foothold among local leaders with grassroots credibility in Khasi and Jaintia Hills constituencies. With its all-round presence in the state’s major communities, it’s now time for the saffron party to march ahead.
