Lapang sworn in as Meghalaya CM, MPA to move SC

UNCONSTITUTIONAL! The Meghalaya Progressive Alliance had boycotted the CM's swearing-in ceremony.

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Keywords: , Meghalaya Progressive Alliance, NCP, Donwa Dethwelson Lapang

New Delhi: Donwa Dethwelson Lapang, the Congress Legislative Party leader was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Meghalaya on Monday for the fourth time.

Like his earlier three terms, however, Lapang may not complete his term this time and chances are that this might be his shortest stint.

The Opposition, the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance has decided to move the Supreme Court against the governor's decision. Lapang's main rival, the NCP's P A Sangma called governor's decision unconstitutional

"Congress is a very selfish party. It looks after its own interests,” Sangma had said.

The main opposition to the Congress in the state, the NCP is eyeing tie ups with all anti-congress parties such as the UDP, KNHAM and the BJP to keep the Congress out.

“As far as the North-East is concerned, NCP has fought these elections independently. In Nagaland, Democratic Alliance of Nagaland has a pre-poll alliance. Therefore, it's imperative that the part that has the numbers should be invited to form the government and since we do have the numbers, we will go ahead and be part of the government,” said Praful Patel.

But the Opposition's claims may not be as strong as they appear. After all, parties like KHNAM have been part of the last Congress Govt and they might ditch Sangma

The Congress, for its part, appears nonchalant.

"All these are post-poll alliances. It’s for the people to see who is right and who is wrong," said Abhishekh Singhvi.

Congress’s relations with other parties in coalitions in state governments are less than smooth. The NCP and the Congress are together at the Centre as well as Maharashtra, but the alliance has often been called an uneasy one.

In Goa, the Digambar Kamat government had almost fallen because the NCP MLAs had rebelled against the Congress party.

The history of distrust between NCP and the Congress goes back a long way, right from the time when Sharad Pawar left the congress due to Sonia Gandhi's foreign origins.

The NCP may now be a UPA ally but Congress-NCP relations are anything but friendly.