Mukul Sangma was today re-elected as the leader of the Congress Legislature Party and is set to become the 23rd chief minister of the state.
The Congress which won 29 seats, two short of an absolute majority, in yesterday's counting of ballots, had its first CLP meeting at a city hotel here.
Congress chief in Meghalaya and former chief minister D D Lapang, who chaired the meeting said, "Mukul Sangma has been elected unanimously as the leader of the CLP and the Congress high command has approved of this."
Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and senior Congress leader Vayalar Ravi, who was here to oversee the government formation along with AICC general secretary in charge of Meghalaya Mukul Wasnik and Sanjay Bapna, said he was 'confident' that Mukul Sangma would be the chief minister for a full five-year term.
Mukul is meeting Governor R S Mooshahary to stake claim to form the government, the process of which is likely to be completed in a day or two, a congress official said.
Apart from the 29 Congress MLAs, eight Independent candidates have assured the Congress of "unconditional" support in the government formation apart from the NCP.
Mukul Sangma said the NCP, which won two seats, have also sent their letter of support to the Congress.
Congress sources said that the Congress high command had reposed confidence in Mukul after his impressive performance in the Garo Hills, once considered to be the domain of P A Sangma.
While the Congress won 13 seats from the Garo Hills region, the P A Sangma-led National Peoples' Party won only two seats. Sangma's NCP had won 15 seats in 2008.
