Government formation in Meghalaya and Nagaland was completed on Tuesday with Conrad Sangma and Neiphiu Rio sworn in as chief ministers, respectively, along with other ministers in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda too were among the BJP leaders who attended the swearing-in ceremonies in Shillong and Kohima.

The decision by Modi, Shah and Nadda to share the dais with NPP leaders in Shillong stood out because the trio had gone all out against the last NPP-led coalition government during electioneering for the February 27 Assembly polls despite being part of the government. Shah had dubbed the NPP-led government the “most corrupt”. The first swearing-in of the day was at the Shillong Raj Bhavan where NPP leader Sangma took oath as Meghalaya chief minister for a second straight term.

The new council of ministers has two deputy chief ministers, also from the NPP. Eight of the 12 ministry berths went to the NPP, a gain of three compared with the last Sangma ministry, two to the United Democratic Party (UDP) and one each to the BJP and the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP).

From Shillong, Modi, Shah and Nadda flew to Kohima to attend the swearing-in of the Rio-headed council of ministers.

The alliance between the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP has secured a majority on its own by bagging 37 seats in the House of 60. The NDPP (25 seats) has secured seven ministry berths, and the BJP (12 seats) five berths. Nagaland too will have two deputy chief ministers.

The highlight of the swearing-in was the inclusion of Salhoutuonuo Kruse as the first woman minister in Nagaland. After spending the night in Guwahati, Modi will fly to Agartala to attend the swearing-in of the BJP-IPFT government in Tripura on Wednesday.