New govts to take oath in Meghalaya, Nagaland

A coalition government led by NPP leader and outgoing chief minister Conrad Sangma will be sworn in on Tuesday morning in Meghalaya, while an all-party government led by NDDP’s Neiphiu Rio will take oath later in the day in Nagaland.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose BJP party is a junior partner in both the governments is likely to attend the swearing in ceremony at both the capitals of these two northeastern states, according to officials.

Seventy-two-year-old Rio, who will be chief minister for a fifth term will lead an all-party government with no opposition in his state. Nagaland had an all party government twice before but in both cases parties came together in a bid to have a united front for tripartite talks with the Central government and former rebels of the NSCN (IM) to finalise a long-awaited peace accord in the border state.

The NDPP-BJP coalition, in the recently concluded Nagaland polls, won 37 seats in the 60-member Assembly.

All other parties in the state subsequently extended their letters of support to the Rio-led alliance.

In Meghalaya, the NPP-led alliance, with 45 MLAs supporting it including two from the BJP, has staked claim to form government.

NPP head Conrad K Sangma, whose party won 26 seats in the February 27 elections, will take oath as the chief minister on Tuesday, along with other cabinet ministers.

On Monday, 58 newly elected MLAs were sworn in as members of the assembly with pro-tem speaker Timothy D Shira administering the oath of office and secrecy to them.

Sangma, who will be sworn in as the CM for a second consecutive term, was also present at the ceremony.