Ending weeks of speculations that has significantly altered the political landscape in the State, Congress MLAs Dr. Celestine Lyngdoh, Charles Marngar, and Gabriel Wahlang officially joined the National People’s Party (NPP) on Monday evening. This comes after Congress tried to ‘checkmate’ the planned move of its legislators by suspending Gabriel Wahlang (Nongstoin constituency) and Charles Marngar (Mawhati constituency) for 6 years on August 16, 2024, whereas sparing Dr Celestine Lyngdoh (Umsning constituency) as a way to appease and cajole him to remain with the party. This was to ensure that Gabriel and Charles won’t switch parties due to fear of anti-defection law coming into picture, leading to their disqualification.