Shillong, October 19: Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Speaker Thomas A. Sangma on Monday said he would examine the merger application submitted by three United Democratic Party (UDP) legislators seeking to join the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), making it clear that recognition of the merger would require proper legal and procedural scrutiny.
The three legislators — Paul Lyngdoh (West Shillong), Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar (Mawkyrwat) and Nujorki Sungoh (Mookaiaw) — submitted their merger application along with the necessary resolutions to the Speaker’s office. However, only Paul Lyngdoh and Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar appeared before the Speaker, while Sungoh was unable to attend as he was out of station for medical treatment.
Speaking to reporters after receiving the documents, Sangma confirmed that the application had been submitted but said he had not yet communicated any decision to the legislators. “I have received the merger application. Since they submitted it to me personally, I have received it. I have not given them a reply yet as I need to seek some opinion,” he said.
The Speaker clarified that the latest merger application would not be automatically recognised simply because he had earlier approved the merger of eight UDP legislators with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “Many may think that since I had already recognised the merger of eight MLAs earlier, this will be just a formality. It is not like that. I have to follow due procedure and process. I have informed them that I will examine and let them know in a few days,” Sangma stated.
On whether the merger fulfilled the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority, the Speaker acknowledged that the numerical strength appeared sufficient but emphasised that the matter involved legal considerations beyond the numbers. “Mathematically it is more than two-thirds, but it is not as simple as that. I have to seek legal opinion and give my ruling in due course,” he said.
Sangma further explained that one of the important procedures involved verifying whether each legislator had voluntarily agreed to the merger. “Out of the three members, only two appeared before me today. Nujorki Sungoh is out of station for medical treatment. As done earlier, I have to physically verify whether each member has agreed to merge on their own free will. I have to wait for that,” he said.
Asked whether Sungoh’s consent could be verified virtually in view of his medical circumstances, the Speaker said he would seek legal advice on the possibility of conducting the verification online. “There are certain possibilities. Nowadays lawyers can appear online even in the Supreme Court and High Court. Whether I can verify his consent for the merger online or whether his physical presence will be required, I have to seek legal opinion on that,” Sangma said.
He added that the latest submission marked the fifth merger application received during his tenure as Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. The proposed merger comes shortly after eight UDP legislators joined the BJP, a move that was subsequently recognised by the Speaker. If the latest merger is formally recognised, the NPP’s strength in the 60-member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly will increase to 36, while the UDP will be reduced to just one legislator.
The Speaker maintained that he was still examining the application and would issue his ruling after completing the necessary legal and procedural requirements.
