Shillong, November 24: In a huge setback to the Congress in Meghalaya, 12 of the 17 party MLAs joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday this includes former Meghalaya CM Dr Mukul Sangma. A formal announcement will be made on Thursday.
Sangma, however, remained tight-lipped on the matter. A source said that Sangma along with 11 other party MLAs submitted their resignation letter to Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh on Wednesday evening.
Among those who jumped the ship are all the eight MLAs from Garo Hills and four from Khasi Jaintia hills. Sangma hails from Garo Hills.
Mukul Sangma, the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly of Meghalaya, was reportedly unhappy with the Congress’s top leadership. Reports suggested that Sangma felt cornered within the party.
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With this, despite not winning a single seat in the 2018 state elections, the TMC became the principal opposition party in the assembly. The Congress, which so far had 17 MLAs, is now reduced to only five.
While the former senior Congress leader had initially stated that he is not quitting the Congress, sources said that his differences with the party had increased manifold.
