UDP reduced to lone legislator in Meghalaya as Speaker okays NPP merger

Raymond Kharmujai Shillong, Oct 23 (UNI) In a decisive blow to Meghalaya's regional political landscape, the United Democratic Party (UDP) has suffered a near-total wipeout in the Assembly after Speaker Thomas Sangma formally approved the merger of the three remaining UDP legislators with the ruling National People's Party (NPP). In his order issued on Friday, the Speaker validated the induction of former UDP legislators Paul Lyngdoh (West Shillong), Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar (Mawkyrwat), and Nujorki Sungoh (Mowkaiaw) into the NPP foldunder Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule. This legal confirmation marks the second wave of defections to hit the UDP-which was…