The Donkupar Roy-led alliance maintained that the non-Congress combine still had the majority in the 60-member House. The MPA's move, however, was ridiculed by Congress, which claimed to have the support of 31 legislators. In its representation to the Governor, the MPA said it should be invited to form the government because it had proved its majority on the floor of the Assembly on March 17.
"We said that we are ready to take a floor test again," an MPA leader said outside the Raj Bhavan complex here.
The NCP-led coalition also handed over the Governor a list of 28 members, excluding United Democratic Party (UDP) legislator and Assembly Speaker Bindo M Lanong.
Interestingly, Hill State People's Democratic Party (HSPDP) MLA and former health minister Adviser Pariong, who was earlier suspended after he had resigned from the then Donkupar Roy-led government, also figured in the MPA's list of MLAs.
Raj Bhavan sources said the Governor was currently out of the state and he was yet to receive the MPA representation.
On the other hand, Congress spokesperson R C Laloo claimed that the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) had the majority in the Assembly, saying MPA should have 31 MLAs, not 28, to prove its majority.
"Not MPA, we (MUA) have 31 MLAs," he said. The legislator from Jaintia Hills said it was doubtful whether MPA had 28 legislators as NCP leader Purno A Sangma was not in Shillong.
The development comes even as the political turmoil in the state has flared into a legal hassle in New Delhi with MPA moving the Supreme Court
challenging the "illegal" imposition of President's Rule in the state.
While the Gauhati High Court had stayed the suspension of the five rebel MLAs by the Speaker, the apex court gave Lanong a "free-hand" to go ahead with the disqualification proceedings against the MLAs who had switched sides leading to the current political turmoil.