Former Meghalaya minister Ismail R. Marak joins BJP in Tura

Former Meghalaya minister Ismail R. Marak joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tura on Saturday, October 24, party leaders said.

He joined at the headquarters of the western Garo Hills division in the presence of the BJP's Meghalaya in-charge and MP Kanad Purkayastha, state co-in-charge Numal Momin and state president Rikman G. Momin.

Political career

Marak was elected MLA from Rongram constituency in 2008 on a Congress ticket and served that year as Minister of State (independent charge) for Transport in the D.D. Lapang government.

Ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, he joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

ED attachment

In June 2026, the Enforcement Directorate provisionally attached immovable property worth ₹40 lakh registered in his name. The agency said the action was linked to the alleged misappropriation of development funds by him. A provisional attachment is not a finding of guilt, and the matter is yet to be decided.

BJP's growth in Meghalaya

Marak's entry adds to a run of recent gains for the BJP in Meghalaya. On September 23, eight legislators of the United Democratic Party joined the BJP, taking its strength in the 60-member Assembly from two to ten and making it the second-largest party in the House, behind the ruling National People's Party.

Marak's induction in Tura, in the presence of the party's state president and central in-charge, signals the BJP's push to expand its organisation in the Garo Hills, where he previously represented Rongram as a Congress MLA.

Why it matters

Meghalaya's politics has seen significant churn this year, with legislators and leaders moving between parties. The next Assembly elections in the state are due in 2028, and parties are working to build their organisations in both the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo Hills regions.

Marak did not publicly state his reasons for the move in the report.