Arunachal Governor Arvind Dave arrived in Shillong on Wednesday to take additional charge of Meghalaya, as speaker E D Marak admitted a no-confidence motion against the minority E K Mawlong coalition ministry filed by the newly formed 42-member Peoples Forum of Meghalaya (PFM). Mawlong, who has defiantly refused to resign from Chief Ministership after the political realignments leading to his government being reduced to a minority in the 60-member house on November 26, stepped down last night from the leadership of ruling constituent, united democratic party, newly elected UDP deputy leader Donkuper Roy said.
Revenue Minister H B Dan replaced Mawlong, Dr Roy, the health minister and a Mawlong loyalist told newsmen.
Dave arrived in the state capital directly by helicopter from Itanagar in the absence of M M Jacob, convalescing at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.
He will be sworn in at 11:00 am on Thursday by the chief justice of Guwahati High Court justice R S Mongia, Raj Bhavan sources said. An alternative gubernatorial arrangement was necessary after the PFM first staked claim to form a new government and subsequently decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the government of Mawlong, the Centre of the political storm over the controversial Meghalaya House deal in Kolkata.
Bureau Report