SC to hear plea against Meghalaya Gov's action

New Delhi, Mar 12: The Supreme Court will today hear a plea challenging Meghalaya Governor S S Sidhu's decision to invite the Congress, led by D D Lapang, to form the government in the State. The petition was moved by former Lok Sabha Speaker P A Sangma.

In a petition filed before the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, senior advocate Soli Sorabjee, who is representing Sangma, claimed that the NCP-led Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) had the support of 31 of the 60 elected members, whereas the Congress had not been able to cobble up a majority. The Congress, with 25 MLAs, emerged as the single largest party and was invited by the Governor to form the government.

The MPA paraded 30 MLAs twice before the Governor and also staked its claim. Sangma resigned from the Lok Sabha on Tuesday after the swearing-in of 59 newly-elected MLAs of the eighth Meghalaya Assembly. On Monday, senior Congress leader D D Lapang was sworn in as Meghalaya Chief Minister by the Governor, who rejected the MPA demand saying the decision was aimed at preventing horse-trading.

Defending his decision to call Congress, Sidhu, a former bureaucrat, said, "The MPA is not a pre-poll alliance and under such situation the single largest party should be called to form the government according to convention."

Sangma termed the decision of the Governor as 'undemocratic' and 'unconstitutional'.

ANI