# BJP set to gain a former UDP heavyweight as Meghalaya's defection buzz grows

> Jemino Mawthoh, who resigned as a UDP MLA in May, will formally join the BJP along with his supporters on September 12, amid growing talk that several more UDP legislators could switch sides before Meghalaya's 2028 Assembly elections.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Meghalaya · **Published:** 2026-09-06 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/meghalaya/bjp-ko-milega-purva-udp-neta-jemino-mawthoh-ka-satha-12-sitnbara-ko-hoga-pravesha-28495 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Jemino Mawthoh, UDP, BJP Meghalaya, Meghalaya politics, party defection, 2028 Assembly elections

Jemino Mawthoh, who once held a legislative seat for the United Democratic Party, has confirmed he will formally cross over to the Bharatiya Janata Party on September 12, bringing his supporters along with him.

## Announcement follows a meeting with supporters
Mawthoh shared the news on Sunday, saying the timing of the switch was decided after he sat down with his supporters at a meeting held the previous day in Shillong. According to him, the group discussed the move together before settling on the September 12 date for his entry into the BJP.

## A long road out of the UDP
Mawthoh is no ordinary defector. He held senior positions inside the United Democratic Party for several years, serving as both its vice president and general secretary before eventually parting ways with the outfit. He formally stepped down from the UDP in May, months before Sunday's announcement.

## An offer that dates back to 2020-21
The BJP's interest in Mawthoh is not new. He revealed that the party had reached out to him about joining its ranks as far back as 2020-21, with discussions and indications of a possible switch surfacing even then. At the time, however, he chose to hold off, saying he preferred to let more time pass before committing to any political move.

## Part of a wider shake-up brewing in Meghalaya
Mawthoh's decision lands at a moment of intense political speculation across Meghalaya, with murmurs growing louder about a possible larger exodus from the UDP ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. Political circles in the state have been actively discussing the possibility that as many as nine of the UDP's 12 sitting MLAs could eventually make the jump to the BJP, a shift that would significantly alter the state's political landscape well before voters head to the polls.

## What this means for you
This defection adds to a broader pattern of MLAs switching parties ahead of elections, a trend that shapes governance and voter choices across India.

- **Across India:** Political defections like this one feed into a larger national conversation about party loyalty and anti-defection concerns ahead of state elections. It signals how regional parties are being squeezed by national parties expanding into the Northeast.
- **In Meghalaya:** Voters in Mawthoh's constituency and across the state now face uncertainty over representation, since the leader they elected under one party banner is switching allegiance. If the speculated exodus of up to nine UDP MLAs materialises, it could reshape the ruling coalition and government stability well before the 2028 Assembly elections.
- **For UDP supporters:** Party loyalists who backed Mawthoh for years must now decide whether to follow him into the BJP or stay with the UDP, a choice that could affect local political organising ahead of the next polls.
- **For BJP's Northeast strategy:** Absorbing experienced regional leaders like Mawthoh strengthens the BJP's organisational base in Meghalaya, a state where it has historically had limited direct electoral strength.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Who is Jemino Mawthoh?
He is a former MLA of the United Democratic Party (UDP) who also served as the party's vice president and general secretary.

### 2. When will Jemino Mawthoh join the BJP?
He is set to formally join the BJP along with his supporters on September 12.

### 3. When did he leave the UDP?
He stepped down from the UDP in May.

### 4. Had the BJP approached him before?
Yes, he said the BJP had reached out to him as early as 2020-21, but he chose to wait before making a move.

### 5. Could more UDP MLAs switch to the BJP?
Political circles are speculating that as many as nine of the UDP's 12 MLAs could eventually move to the BJP.

### 6. Why does this matter for Meghalaya politics?
It comes amid heightened speculation of a larger political shift within the UDP ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.

---
_TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._