Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang on Monday tendered his resignation to Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary. His deputy Mukul M Sangma is to be sworn in as his successor on Tuesday.
"I have handed over my resignation to the governor as Mukul Sangma has the majority support," Lapang said after submitting his resignation.
Asked if he will bounce back as the chief minister like he did in the past, Lapang said "I don't expect that to happen. I will give him (Sangma) 100 per cent support."
"Unity of the party is my first priority and, therefore, I don't expect this new government will collapse," he added.
According to Raj Bhavan sources, Lapang has been asked to continue till alternative arrangements are made.
Sangma, a deputy chief minister under Lapang, has been formally elected the new Congress legislature party leader.
Lapang Sunday tendered his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi as leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP). The resignation was accepted.
Soon after assembly elections in 2008, Lapang was sworn-in the chief minister, his fourth stint, for just 10 days but resigned as the Congress could not cobble a majority.
Thereafter, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) backed United Democratic Party (UDP)-led five-party coalition took office with UDP chief Donkupar Roy as the chief minister, but barely within a year, the coalition was dismissed and the state was brought under president's rule.
Lapang had engineered dissensions within the coalition and managed to reclaim his job with the help of three Independent ministers of the Roy ministry.
In the 60-member legislature, the Congress has 28 legislators and has the support of 10 UDP members, five Independents and one Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) legislator. The opposition NCP has 15 legislators.
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