MEGHALAYA WITNESS HUNG ASSEMBLY, HORSE-TRADING LIKELY

The three big players, the Congress, National People’s Party and Bharatiya Janata Part, have started making desperate attempts to woo regional parties after a hung Assembly in Meghalaya on Saturday. The INC has won 21, BJP 2, NPP 19, NCP 1, KHNAM 1, PDF 4, UDP 6, HSPDP 2 and Ind 3.

The All India Congress Committee was quick to send its senior leaders Ahmed Patel, Mukul Wasnik and Kamal Nath, who arrived here in Shillong to plan ways of forming the government. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP’s northeastern alliance chief, is also in Shillong to strategise for a non-Congress government in Meghalaya.

All eyes are set on the United Democratic Party (UDP) which will meet here today to take a call on whom should the party support. Sources said that both NPP and the Congress had sent feelers to UDP and other regional parties to form the next government. It is yet to be known whether the regional parties will set a condition for change of leadership in CLP before supporting the Congress. Going by the prevailing situation in the state, speculations of horse-trading cannot be ruled out.  The BJP is desperate to dislodge the Congress from Meghalaya with the help of NPP and other parties even after securing mere two seats.