GUWAHATI, August 23: Jayashree Goswami Mahanta was today elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Mahanta, wife of the Assam chief minister and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, was the lone candidate for the seat which fell vacant following the death of sitting AGP member Paragdhar Chaliha, official sources said. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 24, 1999)

NEW DELHI, August 23: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the United Democratic Party (UDP) is likely to deal the Congress party its first blow, even before Meghalaya goes to poll, as the UDP is all set to dump the party in the state. An indication to the effect was given by the NCP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker, PA Sangma. He said the political situation in his home state was "peculiar" as the UDP which has an alliance with his party was running state government in partnership with the Congress. "We have pointed this out to our UDP partner and it is up to them to make up their mind," Sangma told newsmen here last evening after addressing a gathering of Delhi-based students from the region. While Sangma was guarded in statements, informed sources said they are expecting a change of government any time now, indicating the UDP-Congress alliance was likely to break this month itself. The NCP has 12 members in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly, while the UDP has 20 and Congress 16. Sources said a majority of 16 MLAs of the UDP wants to have an alliance government with the NCP at the state rather than the Congress. According to an agreement being worked out, the chief minister, BB Lyngdoh, would continue to head the government, while NCP members would be included in the Cabinet and council of ministers. The NCP is unlikely to stake claim to lead the government, leaving Lyngdoh to lead it for the full term. The NCP and the UDP are contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections as alliance partners. The Tura seat has been left for NCP, where Sangma will contest, while the Shillong seat will be taken by the UDP. (Kalyan Barooah; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 24, 1999)

AGARTALA, August 23: The exchange of fire between the Border Security force (BSF) and the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) continued today at Muhurichar in South Tripura district, causing tension in the area. The BSF deputy inspector-general Ajit Singh said BDR started firing yesterday at some Indian farmers who were cultivating their land. The BSF retaliated and the exchange of fire had not stopped till this morning. A teenaged Indian girl was injured yesterday and admitted to hospital. Prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC have been clamped at Muhurichar area and Belonia subdisvision town where two houses were partially damaged in the BDR firing, according to BSF sources here. Hundreds of villagers have fled the affected area. The BSF is keeping a close watch on the situation and have sent reinforcements to the area, the sources said. The Muhurichar remained a disputed area since 1974 as both India and Bangladesh claimed the cultivable land as their own territory. (Agencies; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 24, 1999)

BELONIA, August 25: India and Bangladesh have decided to maintain status quo over the disputed 67.31 acre Muhurichar land along the Indo-Bangla border in South Tripura and the three-day-long crossfire between Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) that stopped yesterday afternoon. This was decided in the high-level meeting between the director-general of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and the inspector-general of BSF held here today following the BSF-BDR firing over the disputed land. The BSF's Tripura, Cachar and Mizoram frontier inspector-general, BC Goel, led the Indian delegation while the director-general of BDR, Major General Ajijur Rahman, was the leader of the Bangladeshi delegation (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 26, 1999)

SHILLONG, August 25: The Supreme Court has directed the Meghalaya government to conduct the civic polls for the Shillong Municipal Board which has not been held since 1966. In a landmark judgment yesterday, a division bench of the apex court also set aside a writ petition of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) challenging the Gauhati High Court judgement asking the state government to hold the municipal polls. According to the verdict, the civic polls should be held within four months in all 27 wards of Shillong Municipal Board. The high court while disposing a public interest litigation filed by Pawan Sharma and Biswajit Barua, on July 16, 1997, had directed the state government to hold the civic polls. In a later order, it had also pronounced that the KHADC had no jurisdiction over the municipal areas of Shillong. (Special correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 27, 1999)

IMPHAL, August 27: The Manipur government has banned all sorts of bandhs called by any organisation, causing inconvenience to people. A notice issued by the state government pointed out the Supreme Court order which held enforcement of such call for bandhs as illegal and unconstitutional. Manipur government warned all associations, organisations, political parties and individuals against calling such bandhs since fundamental rights of the people as a whole cannot be subservient to the claim of such rights of any individual or section of people. The government further cautioned that sponsors of such bandhs would be liable to compensate the state government for the loss suffered due to their actions. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; August 28, 1999)