UDP Formally Exits Meghalaya’s MDA-II Government After Defections Reduce Party to Single MLA

Shillong: The United Democratic Party (UDP) has officially withdrawn its support from the Conrad K. Sangma-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA-II) government. The decision was finalized during a crucial Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

This exit marks a dramatic shift for the regional party, which had emerged as the second-largest political force in the state following the 2023 assembly elections.

The withdrawal follows a rapid and crushing wave of defections that systematically stripped the UDP of its legislative influence. In September 2026, eight UDP legislators defected to merge with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The crisis deepened just days ago when three more UDP MLAs jumped ship to join the Chief Minister's National People’s Party (NPP). Within just two months, the UDP's presence in the 60-member state assembly was drastically reduced from 12 MLAs to just one.

The political fallout culminated over the weekend when UDP President Metbah Lyngdoh—the party's sole remaining legislator—resigned from his cabinet post on Saturday, October 31, 2026. Lyngdoh had been managing heavy-weight portfolios, including power, textiles, water resources, and taxation.

Confirming the formal break from the ruling alliance, UDP General Secretary Titosstarwell Chyne stated that remaining in the government was no longer viable. "Following the resignation of our lone MLA from the cabinet, there is no meaning or justification for the UDP to continue its support to the MDA-II government.

We have unanimously decided to sit in the opposition," Chyne told reporters after the CEC meeting. He emphasized that the UDP will now focus entirely on rebuilding its grassroots organizational structure and independently raising public interest issues.

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