Shillong, Jan 13 (IANS): Weeks before the announcement of Assembly elections, MLAs switching loyalty continued in Meghalaya with two more Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators quitting the Assembly on Thursday to join the ruling National Peoples Party (NPP).

In a major setback to Trinamool, the main opposition party in Meghalaya, Jimmy D. Sangma and Marthon Sangma joined the ruling NPP after quitting both the party and the Assembly.

Both the legislators had won in the 2018 Assembly election as Congress nominees, but were among the 12 MLAs, who, led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, joined the Trinamool in November 2021, making the West Bengal-based party the main opposition in the northeastern state overnight.

Another Trinamool MLA, Himalaya M. Shangpliang, had joined the BJP in December last year.

With three MLAs leaving the Trinamool, the party's strength in the 60-member Assembly has come down to nine now.

So far, 13 Meghalaya MLAs have resigned from the House and their respective parties and joined different outfits in less than two months (since December last year).