SHILLONG : Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday admitted that he was hurt by the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) decision to withdraw support from the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, following the resignation of its president Metbah Lyngdoh from the cabinet.

The UDP’s decision came after 11 of its legislators left the party, with eight joining the BJP and three merging with the National People’s Party (NPP).

Speaking to reporters, Sangma said the UDP’s withdrawal was not something he had wanted or expected, adding that political circumstances sometimes lead to difficult decisions.

“Yes, to be very frank I am in pain and this is not something that we chose or should happen. Politics is not always about what we want to do, there are circumstances and sometimes you have to take decisions,” he said.

The Chief Minister stressed that the NPP had neither asked nor pressured the UDP to withdraw support from the government, maintaining that the decision was taken independently by the regional party.

“I have a very special connection with leaders of UDP and we had wished that they would still be with us. We never said or asked that they should withdraw. It was a decision taken at their level,” he said.

Sangma explained that the departure of a large number of UDP legislators had changed the party’s strength in the Assembly, making it difficult to justify its continued cabinet representation. This eventually led to Metbah Lyngdoh’s resignation as a minister and the UDP’s subsequent decision to withdraw support from the government.

“It is not something that I as NPP president had asked them to do. Hence it is obviously not comfortable and not something I would have wanted,” he said.

Despite the political separation, Sangma expressed hope that the relationship between the two parties and their leaders would continue, both personally and politically.

“In politics there are such situations but I hope at least at personal level and political level we continue to engage. We will always ensure that we keep the people in front and work together, even though we may not be on the same board, our purpose is the same,” he added.