Meghalaya CM Donkupar Roy expands cabinet

Chief Minister Donkupar Roy has expanded his ministry by inducting five more members into the cabinet.

Giving berths to all allies of ruling Meghalaya Progressive Alliance in a bid to cement the stability of the coalition, Chief Minister Donkupar Roy on Thursday expanded his ministry, inducting five more members into the cabinet.

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The five ministers Hopingstone Lyngdoh (Hill State People's Democratic Party), E C Bamon and Timothy d Shira (both of NCP) J A Lyngdoh (United Democratic Party), and Nimerson Momin (UDP) were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor S S Sidhu at Raj Bhavan on Thursday afternoon.

Seven others, including the chief minister, were sworn in on Wednesday.

NCP leader P A Sangma said the portfolios of the ministers would be allotted later.
Sangma appeared to have satisfied his alliance partners by keeping just three berths for NCP despite being the single largest party in the alliance with 14 seats.

He gave a berth to all the partners, including the two independents, as well as the parties with just one elected member like BJP, KHNAM.

Both the MLAs of the HSPDP also made it to the ministry, and one of them, Hopingstone Lyngdoh, is expected to be the deputy chief minister.

Significantly, some big names in the MPA like former chief minister E K Mawlong and rebel Congress leader and former chief minister J D Rymbai, who joined UDP and was re-elected to the state assembly for the fifth time, did not find ministerial berths.

The only woman representative in the House, UDP's M L Ampareen Lyngdoh, also did not find a berth in the ministry.

But there were indications that they might be accommodated as chairmen of departments and in other vital posts.