Category: MEGHALAYA

• SHILLONG
• Nongpoh

The National People's Party (NPP) has claimed to have a majority to form the government in the hill state and Conrad Sangma will be sworn-in as Chief Minister on Tuesday.

Sangma's National People's Party (NPP) won 26 seats while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that bagged two seats extended its support to the NPP on the day of announcement of the result.

The Trinamool Congress which contested 56 of the 60 seats in Meghalaya and 28 of the 60 seats in Tripura secured five seats and 13.78 per cent votes in Meghalaya and only 0.88 per cent votes in Tripura, where 1.36 per cent votes were polled for NOTA (None Of The Above).

Days ahead of the International Women's Day on March 8, good news from three northeastern states -- Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland -- that 14 women were elected to the state assemblies in the recent polls against six women legislators in the outgoing houses.

They pelted stones at a counting centre located within the Deputy Commissioner's office premises and set a car on fire in the Mairang constituency, where candidate Batskhem Ryntathiang came second to current Legislator Metbah Lyngdoh of the UDP by only 155 votes.

In a major setback to the Congress, its Meghalaya unit president and Lok Sabha MP Vincent Pala lost the assembly election. He was defeated by the NPP candidate Santa Mary Shylla.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has defeated his rival Bernard Marak of the BJP and won the South Tura constituency with 10,090 votes, the Election Commission announced on Thursday.

BJP Meghalaya leader Sanbor Shullai on Thursday said that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will take a call on an alliance with the state's ruling National People's Party (NPP).

Amid the counting of the Assembly election votes in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday thanked the people of the state for voting for the ruling National People's Party (NPP).

The BJP, which looked to cross double digits in the early trends in counting, has lost leads in a few seats. The party is now leading in just five seats. They won two seats in the last Assembly election.

Amid the ongoing vote counting in Meghalaya, the Conrad Sangma-led National People's Party (NPP) is leading. But it might not be able to touch the magic figure to form the government and may need the support of another party.

As counting of votes is currently underway in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma is leading from his South Tura constituency, while Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Sangma has also taken a lead against his NPP rival in Songsak.

While the Trinamool Congress is leading in 10 seats, the Congress party, which was the single largest party in Meghalaya in the last Assembly election, is trailing. The grand-old party is leading in only nine seats.

Counting of votes, polled in the February Assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland, began on Thursday morning under three-tier security measures, including central paramilitary forces, officials said.

Counting of votes cast in the recently-held Assembly elections in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland will take place on Thursday under three-tier security measures involving the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), officials said on Wednesday.

According to sources, at a polling station, Mizo Modern High School in Nongrim Hills, a few voters complained that they could not cast their vote. Following that, the EC has ordered a probe into the incident, however, no re-polling has been ordered until now.

A 44.73 per cent voter turnout was registered until 1 p.m. on Monday in the ongoing Meghalaya Assembly polls being held in 59 of the 60 constituencies under tight security, election officials said.

Around 11 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first two hours of voting till 9 a.m. on Monday in the Meghalaya Assembly polls conducted in 59 of the 60 constituencies under heavy security measures, election officials said.

At least six Christian clerics, including three women, died on the spot and two others were injured after their vehicle was hit by a cement-laden truck at Sumer in Meghlaya's Ri Bhoi district on Sunday, police said.

The polling would not be held in Sohiong Assembly Constituency in East Khasi Hills district following the death of United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate H. Donkupar Roy Lyngdoh, who died on February 20 due to illness.

Conrad and his brother James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma, a minister in the MDA government, are contesting the polls. Their sister and former union minister Agatha Sangma is the incumbent Lok Sabha MP from Tura, one of Meghalaya's two parliamentary seats.

The polling would not be held in Sohiong Assembly Constituency in East Khasi Hills district following the death of United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate H. Donkupar Roy Lyngdoh, who died on February 20 due to illness.

In view of the upcoming Assembly polls in Meghalaya on February 27, the state's borders with Bangladesh and Assam will remain sealed until March 2, the counting day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, while addressing an election rally in Meghalaya's Tura, said that the BJP-led NDA government has changed the old thinking and approach to develop the northeast, as the government considers the region as the growth engine of the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the northeast is a strong pillar of the Act East Policy and Meghalaya along with the entire region has a strong prospect of trade and tourism.