Marak resigns, Lyngdoh to take over
Sensing defeat in the trial of strength after its nominee lost the election for
speakership, the 12-day-old Congress government in Meghalaya, led by Salseng C Marak, bowed out of office on Tuesday.
A new ministry, under Opposition leader B B Lyngdoh, will be sworn in at the Raj Bhavan at 1700 hours today. The United Parliamentary Forum had staked its claim in the afternoon. The size of the ministry has not been decided yet.
Immediately after United Democratic Party candidate E K Mawlong defeated Congress nominee Sujit Sangma by one vote in the morning, becoming speaker, the chief minister told the House that he would not participate in
the trial of strength.
Mawlong polled 30 votes and Sangma 29. One vote was invalid.
The chief minister submitted his resignation to Governor
M M Jacob as soon as the House was adjourned.
Marak said this was a temporary setback and he was
confident of coming back to power. It was not necessary
to participate in the trial of strength after the defeat of his
candidate as it would have amounted to a repetition, he said.
''We are the single largest party having a strength of 25. We had hoped to get the support of other MLAs. But a few of them withdrew their
support. However, we could get the support of four other MLAs,''
he said.
UNI
Elections '98
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