12 of 17 Congress MLAs join TMC in Meghalaya

Former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, along with 11 of the 17 Congress MLAs in the state, joined the Trinamool Congress in a huge coup for West Bengal's ruling party in the northeast. The Meghalaya MLAs submitted a letter to assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh around 10:00 pm on Wednesday, informing him of their change of status, sources said. The development, which makes the Trinamool Congress the principal opposition party in the state, came a day after Congress leaders Kirti Azad and Ashok Tanwar as well as Pawan Varma, formerly of Janata Dal (United), joined the Trinamool Congress in Delhi in the presence of party chief Mamata Banerjee currently visiting the national capital, reports NDTV.