Karnataka effect: Congress holds protests across Meghalaya

Congress members and workers in Meghalaya on Friday carried out statewide protests and sent a petition to President Ram Nath Kovind, appealing him to safeguard democratic principles and the sanctity of the Constitution.

The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Meghalaya elections held on 27 February, but was not invited to form the government. It had secured the maximum number of seats (20) in the then House of 58 in the Assembly elections.

The party held demonstrations and submitted a memorandum to the president at the Raj Bhawan.

"As a mark of protest, the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee is organising statewide dharnas to protest this blatantly partisan and authoritarian act of the governor of Karnataka," MPPC president Celestine Lyngdoh said in a petition to the governor.

Earlier, state Congress president and MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh and Congress legislature party secretary Hima Shangpliang staged a protest at the Congress Bhavan here. Currently, state Governor Ganga Prasad is not in Shillong.

In the 27 February, though the Congress was the single largest party, the National Peoples Party (NPP), with 19 seats, was called to form the government with the support from the United Democratic Party (6), the Peoples Democratic Front (4), the Hills State Peoples Democratic Party (2), the BJP (2), the NCP (1) and two Independents.