New Delhi: President of the National People’s Party (NPP) Conrad Sangma, reacting to the demands for a Khasi chief minister in Meghalaya said there are procedures to elect a chief minister in a democracy and it is not about any individual.
“We are in a democracy, there is a procedure to elect chief minister. It is not about a person individually from a particular community but people's mandate. I think this issue has the sentiments of people but a mandate has been given,” news agency ANI quoted Sangma as saying.
“We have 32 MLAs and they have been elected by people and hence MLAs will decide whom they want to support. NGOs might have differences of opinion but it is different from the election mandate. Meghalaya has never seen such behaviour and it is unacceptable,” Sangma added.
Sangma, who will be sworn-in as the chief minister of the newly formed coalition government in Meghalaya on March 7, said, “I have received a letter from Governor inviting me to form the government. The swearing-in ceremony will be on March 7 at 11 am in Raj Bhawan. We are expecting Prime Minister, Home Minister and other leaders to attend the ceremony.”
Notably, in the recently concluded Meghalaya Assembly elections, the NPP won 26 seats and the BJP got two. The Congress and Trinamool Congress won five seats each, while the UDP got 11 seats. The Voice of the People Party won four seats, People’s Democratic Front and Hill State People’s Democratic Party won two seats each, and two Independent candidates also won.
Meanwhile, backing the demand for a Khasi CM, former Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma said there is no such discrimination as Khasi or Garo. The chief minister can be from the Khasi hills. “What is the problem? There is no problem. We have had the late BB Lyngdoh. We had the late EK Mawlong. And we had the late Captain Williamson Sangma,” he added.