Swearing-in ceremony for newly elected legislators in Meghalaya gets under way

The NPP-led alliance with 32 MLAs has staked claim to form the next government in the northeastern state, under the leadership of Conrad Sangma

The swearing-in ceremony for the newly elected legislators in Meghalaya got underway on Monday morning, with pro-tem speaker Timothy D Shira administering the oath of office and secrecy to the MLAs.

All the 59 legislators would take oath as MLAs of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

NPP head and outgoing chief minister Conrad K Sangma was present at the ceremony.

The NPP-led alliance with 32 MLAs has staked claim to form the next government in the northeastern state, under the leadership of Sangma.

Read | Sangma vs Sangma: Meghalaya govt formation takes a turn

The NPP won 26 seats in the recently concluded elections, while its ally, the BJP, won only two seats.

Two Hill State People's Democratic Party MLAs, who have won the elections, have also pledged their support to the NPP-BJP coalition, along with two other Independent legislators.

Two major regional parties – the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the People's Democratic Front (PDF) – on Sunday extended their support to the NPP-led alliance, increasing the number of MLAs backing the Sangma-led coalition to 45.