BJP will form govt in Meghalaya: Himanta Sarma

Shillong [Meghalaya]: To keep Congress out of power in Meghalaya, Assam Finance, Health and Education Minister and Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with regional parties will form the next government in the state.

"I am confident that the regional parties and the BJP will form the government in Meghalaya together. The people in Meghalaya have rejected the Congress. We are committed to giving them an alternate form of government and we are moving in that direction only," Himanta told ANI.

Following its defeat in the Meghalaya polls yesterday, the BJP suggested that the regional parties - National People's Party (NPP) and United Democratic Party (UDP) should enter into an alliance to form a "non-Congress government" in the state, as Meghalaya voters returned a hung assembly.

The BJP managed to win just two seats, while the Congress retained its hold on Meghalaya by winning 21 seats, 10 short of the majority 31-seat mark in the 60-member house.

The NPP won 19 seats, while other regional parties won 17 seats, implying that even though the Congress has won, it still may not form the government in the state.