CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: Former Meghalaya minister Ismail R Marak joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday, marking another shift in his political career ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
Marak joined the party in Tura in the presence of BJP Meghalaya in-charge and MP Kanad Purkayastha, state co-in-charge Numal Momin and state president Rikman G Momin.
Marak was elected from Rongram in 2008 on a Congress ticket and served as Minister of State with independent charge of the Transport Department in the D D Lapang-led government the same year. He later joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections before switching to the BJP.
His entry into the BJP comes amid allegations linked to the alleged misappropriation of development funds. In June 2026, the Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached immovable property valued at Rs 40 lakh registered in Marak's name in connection with the case.
The provisional attachment is linked to the allegations and does not, by itself, establish guilt.
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