Meghalaya: Timothy D Shira sworn in as assembly's protem speaker

Senior NPP MLA Timothy D Shira was sworn in as the protem speaker of the Meghalaya assembly on February 4. 

Shira, the MLA of Resubelpara, was sworn in by Governor Phagu Chauhan at the Raj Bhavan in presence of outgoing chief minister Conrad K Sangma and senior leaders of the NPP. 

Sangma had on Friday staked claim to form the next government in the state with the support of 31 MLAs. Among them are 26 NPP MLAs, two MLAs each of the BJP and HSPDP, and two Independents.

On the otherhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the swearing-in ceremony of Conrad Sangma as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya on the same day.

The ceremony will take place in Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya. This comes after the National People's Party (NPP) led by Sangma emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded Meghalaya Assembly Elections.

Also Read: PM Modi to meet Assam Cabinet Ministers on March 7; will also attend swearing-in ceremony of Conrad Sangma

The visit of the Prime Minister to the Northeast region is significant as the region has been a priority area for the government in terms of development and security. The BJP-led NDA government has been focusing on the development of the Northeast region and has taken several initiatives to promote the growth of the region.

The visit of the Prime Minister to the Northeast region and his meetings with the Assam Cabinet Ministers and attendance at Conrad Sangma's swearing-in ceremony is expected to boost the developmental efforts in the region. 

Meanwhile, in Meghalaya, Pressure groups Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) and Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) protested against the 2 HSPDP MLAs to pull back their support from the NPP.

Further, the pressure groups have given March 7 as the deadline to withdraw support from the NPP.