SHILLONG : The political future of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly will depend on Speaker Thomas A. Sangma’s decision on the defection of eight party MLAs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), senior UDP leader and West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh has said.
Lyngdoh, one of the four MLAs who remain with the UDP, said the party could not decide its next course of action until the Speaker rules on whether the split involving the eight MLAs is valid under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
“What happens to the eight MLAs who have submitted a petition to be recognised as members of the BJP? They have sought to be treated as members who have left the UDP under the relevant section of the Tenth Schedule,” he said.
Explaining the possible outcomes, Lyngdoh said that if the Speaker refuses to recognise the split, the UDP would continue to have 12 MLAs, leaving him with no option to leave the party without considering the legal consequences.
“If he does not recognise the split, it means UDP remains 12. I can’t leave. If the Speaker does entertain the split, it leaves us with four,” he said.
He stressed that the decision would determine the political options available to the remaining four UDP legislators, including party president Metbah Lyngdoh.
Asked whether the four MLAs would take a collective decision, Paul Lyngdoh said it was too early to speculate, as their next move would depend on the Speaker’s ruling.
“The remaining four will have to wait and see what happens to the petition of the eight, whether that petition is entertained or rejected. Then the next course of action would be taken by the four, whether they stick with UDP or move out,” he said.
He added that any move by the remaining legislators to join another party would have to comply with the requirements of the Tenth Schedule, including the provisions governing disqualification on grounds of defection.
Responding to speculation that three of the four remaining UDP MLAs were inclined towards joining the National People’s Party (NPP), Lyngdoh said personal preferences would not determine their decisions if the law prevented such a move.
“Inclination will not determine our course of action, but what actually happens on the ground will,” he said, citing the possibility of an MLA facing disqualification if they joined another party individually without the necessary legal protection.
Lyngdoh reiterated that the UDP would wait for the Speaker’s decision on the complaint filed by the party before deciding whether the remaining legislators would continue with the UDP or explore other political options.
The dispute follows the move by eight UDP MLAs to join the BJP, leaving the regional party facing uncertainty over its strength and future in the Meghalaya Assembly.