SHILLONG, Jan 2: The National People’s Party will get a further boost this week with three sitting legislators – two from the PDF and one from the HSPDP – all set to join the ruling party.
PDF MLAs Hamletson Dohling from Mylliem and Jason S Mawlong representing Umsning constituency along with Sohiong MLA Samlin Malngiang (of the HSPDP) have packed their bags and are ready to shift base to the NPP.
Mawlong will join the NPP in his constituency on January 6 while Dohling, who is also a Cabinet minister, will follow suit the next day.
Party sources said the date for Malngiang’s entry to the NPP is yet to be finalised.
All the three sitting legislators will resign from the Assembly before joining the NPP.
Dohling had, earlier, mentioned that his decision to shift to the NPP was based on the advice he got from his supporters.
Asserting that he had not taken the decision on his own, he pointed out that as many as 36 leaders from Mylliem constituency had advised him to shift away from the PDF.
The Mylliem MLA also confirmed that he will contest the upcoming elections from the NPP.
He further said that he would release an achievement/progress report highlighting his achievements in the past five years on the day he joins the NPP.
Earlier, suspended Congress MLAs Ampareen Lyngdoh and Mohendro Rapsang tendered their resignations from the Assembly before joining the ruling party in a public function on December 19.
On December 29, another suspended Congress legislator, Kimfa S Marbaniang also ditched his former party and joined the NPP.
Along the way, the NPP has lost two of its MLAs to the BJP, its ally in the MDA.
Raksamgre MLA Benedic R Marak and Selsella MLA Ferlin CA Sangma quit the party in mid-December, alleging that the NPP had sidelined them.
Trinamool Congress MLA Himalaya Shangpliang and independent legislator Samuel Sangma had also joined the BJP along with Benedic and Ferlin.
