Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Thursday dropped two senior Congress leaders from his Cabinet allegedly for their anti-party activities. “I have met the governor to apprise him on the issue,” he told PTI. “On Friday, you will have new Cabinet ministers.”

“It is a question of creating new space for some of our colleagues, and at the same time, friends who have been in the Cabinet will then be available to do further work for the party,” Sangma said.

Prestone Tynsong, one of the two Congress leaders who lost their Cabinet position, had been a state minister for more than 13 years. He is known to have openly declared that he was never dropped from his posts despite heading several dissident movements against former chief ministers.

The other leader, Sniawbhalang Dhar, is a coal tycoon who had announced a rival candidate against Cabinet minister RC Laloo in the district of the West Jaintia Hills. There is a petition with the Meghalaya Congress seeking his expulsion for anti-party activities.

A senior party leader told PTI that Celestine Lyngdoh and Comingone Ymbon were likely to be inducted into the Cabinet on Friday.