Guwahati: The Meghalaya government will carry out a long-anticipated cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, with the swearing-in of new ministers set for 5 pm at the Raj Bhavan.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma met Governor Chandrashekhar H. Vijayashankar on Monday and handed over the list of MLAs who will join the reconstituted cabinet, according to sources, said a report by The Shillong Times.
As many as eight ministers are expected to be dropped, including four from the National People’s Party (NPP): Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, Power Minister Abu Taher Mondal, Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma, and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Comingone Ymbon.
Their likely replacements include:
- Sosthenes Sohtun, MLA from Jirang (expected to replace Ampareen Lyngdoh)
- Timothy D. Shira, Resubelpara MLA and former Deputy Speaker (to replace Rakkam A. Sangma)
- Wailadmiki Passah, MLA from Jowai (in place of Comingone Ymbon)
- Brening A. Sangma, Dalu MLA (to replace Abu Taher Mondal)
The United Democratic Party (UDP) will also see changes. Party president and Mairang MLA Metbah Lyngdoh, along with Amlarem MLA Lahkmen Rymbui, will likely take over from outgoing ministers Paul Lyngdoh and Kyrmen Shylla. The UDP reportedly finalized its decision during a party meeting on Monday.
In the BJP camp, South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai is set to replace senior leader Alexander L. Hek.
Meanwhile, Methodius Dkhar, the MLA from Mawshynrut, will likely take over from Shakliar Warjri of the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP). Both the BJP and HSPDP currently have two MLAs each in the Assembly.
Although the government confirmed the reshuffle for Tuesday, BJP state president Rikman G. Momin claimed the chief minister had not officially informed him by Monday.
The list of potential outgoing ministers has surprised not just political observers but also insiders in the ruling alliance.
Analysts believe the NPP may have backfired by aggressively expanding the alliance and including as many parties and MLAs as possible, especially now that it must share cabinet positions with more stakeholders.
Throughout its term, the NPP aggressively consolidated power by bringing in smaller parties, even pushing for an Opposition-less Assembly at one point.
With Congress almost wiped out, the NPP showed little concern for political consequences while strengthening the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA).
However, the reshuffle has put Chief Minister Conrad Sangma in a tight spot. Reports say he faced immense pressure to accommodate more MLAs and avoid creating friction with senior ministers he planned to remove.
Sources suggest the initial plan to drop Marcuise N. Marak was scrapped due to internal pushback.
One outgoing minister, speaking anonymously, said they had no formal notice about their removal and only learned about their potential replacement through media reports.
While the NPP kept its deliberations private, other alliance partners, including the UDP, held internal meetings to finalize their nominations.
UDP minister Kyrmen Shylla acknowledged that the party president holds the authority to make such decisions, and he would respect whatever the leadership decides.