NEW DELHI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma had called Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking support to form a government in the state.
“Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma called Amit Shah ji, Hon’ble Home Minister and sought his support and blessings in forming the new Government,” tweeted CM Sarma.
Sarma further said that BJP national president J P Nadda has advised the state unit of the party to support the National People’s Party in forming the next government in Meghalaya.
“Adaraniya Sri JP Nadda ji, the national president of the BJP, has advised the state unit of BJP, Meghalaya to support the National People’s Party in forming the next government in Meghalaya”, the Assam CM added.
Earlier, Sangma dropped a subtle hint of a possible post-poll alliance, as the latest counting trends pointed to the likelihood of a hung Assembly. He said his party will wait till the number stabilises and a clearer picture emerges and will then deliberate on a post-poll tie-up, if necessary.
“We’d like to thank the people of the state for having voted for us. We are a few numbers short, so we’ll wait for the final results to come out. We will decide our future course of action on the basis of the final results,” CM Sangma told ANI.
According to the latest trends shared by the Election Commission at 6:33 pm on Thursday, the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) won 21 seats and was leading in five, while the BJP won two seats. The TMC, which is the principal Opposition in the state, won five seats while the Congress also won 5 seats. The People’s Democratic Front bagged two seats while the United Democratic Party won 11 seats.
The BJP, which had created history in 2018 by wresting the state from Left parties, was tipped to be ahead of its rivals in most exit-poll projections in the state. The Northeast state saw a triangular contest as the Congress and CPIM, which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP. (ANI)