Meghalaya and Nagaland CMs meet Amit Shah after taking charge for a new term

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio met Home Minister Amit Shah on March 13 to discuss their plans for the new term after taking charge on March 7. Both the chief ministers are heading a coalition government where the BJP is a constituent.

During the meeting, Amit Shah wished the newly appointed CMs all the best and expressed his hope that the new government will be successful in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of their states under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. He congratulated both the CMs for taking the oath of office for another term and wished them success in their journey towards prosperity.

Sangma took charge for the second consecutive term as the National People's Party, his party, became the single-largest party winning 26 seats, out of 60, in the recently held election. The UDP bagged 11 seats while the BJP, HSPDP, and the People's Democratic Front (PDF) got two seats each. Two independent members also extended support to Sangma.

The ruling coalition in Meghalaya had decided that it would be called the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance 2.0 since its partners are almost the same as the previous one.

NDPP's T R Zeliang and BJP's Yanthungo Patton took charge as the deputy chief ministers of Nagaland alongside Neiphiu Rio, who became the chief minister for the fifth time. Rio first became the chief minister of Nagaland in 2003, leading the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government of the Naga People's Front (NPF) and the BJP. He again became the CM in 2008 and in 2013, but resigned in 2014 and went to Lok Sabha, before once again becoming the chief minister in 2018.

With his fifth term, Rio has become the longest serving chief minister of Nagaland, surpassing S C Jamir's record, who was the chief minister of Nagaland from 1980, 1982-86, 1989-90 and two consecutive terms from 1993-2003.

The recent elections in both states saw the BJP playing a crucial role in forming the government, as it is a constituent of the ruling coalition in both states.

The newly appointed chief ministers expressed their gratitude towards Amit Shah for his blessings and support and assured him that they will work towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people of their states.