Shillong: The Congress-led Mukul Sangma
government in Meghalaya on Wednesday won by 43-13 after a
no-confidence motion was moved by Opposition NCP amidst a high
drama on the fourth day of the autumn session.
During the trust vote, NCP faced an embarrassment when
one of its MLA`s deputy speaker Shanbor Shullai abstained.
Another NCP MLA Adolf L H Marak did not turn up for
the proceedings, bringing down the strength of the Opposition
from 15 to 14 in the 60-member House.
Independent MLA Manas Choudhury abstained from voting.
Despite the NCP insisting that the trust vote be
carried out through secret ballot, Speaker Charles Pyngrope,
in a departure from normal trend, decided to conduct the
voting through division (head count) and not through voice
vote.
Members from both the benches including Chief Minister
Mukul Sangma, Opposition Leader Conrad Sangma, former CMs P A
Sangma, D D Lapang, Donkupar Roy, deputy CMs B M Lanong, R
Lyngdoh and several others voiced counter arguments on the
mode of conducting the vote on the no-confidence motion,
before the Speaker`s ruling.
All the ruling alliance partners - 27 Congress MLAs,
nine from United Democratic Party (UDP), two from Hill State
People`s Democratic Party (HSPDP), one from Khyun Hynniewtrep
National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) and four independents -
voted in favour of the government.
Significant was the vocal support for the chief
minister coming from some of his known detractors within the
Congress party despite the NCP trying hard to drive a
political wedge.
Tabling the no-confidence motion on Monday, the Leader
of Opposition Conrad K Sangma had said the purpose of the
motion was not to topple the government, but to highlight
failures of the state government.
Earlier today, initiating the motion, Conrad Sangma
contended that the government under Mukul Sangma had "failed
in all fronts", especially law and order in the Garo hills and
in maintaining the state`s fiscal health.
The chief minister later denied all the allegations
and said he has once again demonstrated that he enjoyed full
support of the house to continue in his coveted chair.
While on the law and order front he claimed that the
state was by and large peaceful except for some stray
incidents of violence, on the financial health he said the
parameters were being maintained at the prescribed level.
PTI
