Eight MLAs of Meghalaya’s United Democratic Party (UDP) formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday, significantly changing the composition of the state Assembly. The induction, announced by BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra, took place in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and other senior BJP leaders. The eight legislators had been in discussions with the BJP leadership over several issues concerning Meghalaya, including the demand for inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, changes to coal-mining restrictions, implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act and relocation of the Harijan Colony from Them Iew Mawlong in Shillong. Following the move, the BJP’s strength in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly has risen from two to 10, while the UDP’s tally has fallen from 12 to four, making the BJP the second-largest party in the House after the National People’s Party. The development follows weeks of discussions over the legislators’ proposed switch and comes ahead of the 2028 Meghalaya Assembly election. Rijiju said the legislators had been influenced by the development work and changes they had observed in the Northeast under BJP-led governments. The formal induction marks a significant shift in Meghalaya’s current political composition and adds a new dimension to the state’s political alignment ahead of the next Assembly election.