Hung house in Meghalaya: BJP, Congress race to form government

SHILLONG: Meghalaya, once a Congress bastion, is now heading towards a hung house. Facing tough opposition, Congress party won 11 Assembly constituencies and is currently leading in 10 more. Regional outfit National People's Party or NPP emerged at the second spot with four wins and leads in 19 Assembly seats. 

LIVE Updates: Meghalaya assembly elections 2018: Congress surges ahead; NPP a distant second

Despite a spectacular show in Tripura, the Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP could barely make an impact in Meghalaya and is likely to form a coalition government with NPP.

The other winning parties include People's Democratic Front or PDF and United Democratic Party or UDP. Both are leading in four seats each, according to the Election Commission. 

The Hill State People's Democratic Party or HSPDP has won one seat and was ahead in one more. The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement or KHNAM has won one seat while the Nationalist Congress Party or NCP was ahead in one seat. Independents have won two seats and were ahead in two more.

Indicating towards a BJP government in coalition, senior BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav said, "There is a possibility of a non-Congress government in Meghalaya and our effort would be towards that." The BJP has already dispatched its leader and North East Democratic Alliance convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma to Shillong to try and form a non-Congress government in Meghalaya.

The Congress too sent senior party leaders Ahmed Patel and Kamal Nath in view of the a likelyhood that it may emerge as the single largest party in the Meghalaya assembly polls.

Terming BJP's victory in Northeast “historic”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “Our performance in Meghalaya and Nagaland is also historic.”

“The (election) results will change the political landscape of northeast. It will also have its bearing on the national scene," said Union Minister Kiren Rijiju while referring to Lok Sabha 2019 elections.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has won from both Ampati and Songsak constituencies. Sangma, who contested the election from both constituencies, won by a comfortable margin of over 8000 votes in Ampati, while in Songsak, he registered a victory by about 2000 votes.

The polls for Meghalaya elections was held on February 27. Of the 60 Assembly seats in Meghalaya, as many as 55 seats in the state are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.