It’s been a nail-biting poll trend in Meghalaya. Counting of votes began at 8 AM, and NPP seems to be taking a lead as per early trends as showcased by CNN-News18’s on ground reports. LIVE Updates
The National People’s Party, led by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, is emerging as the single largest party. As per the trends at the time of writing this report, TMC and UDP come behind with 7 seats, and Congress and BJP are leading on 4 seats each.
Conrad Sangma has previously hinted that his coalition with the BJP, which was dissolved ahead of the polls, may be resurrected soon. Amid the developments, let’s take a look at who Sangma is, and what had happened between him and the BJP.
Who is Conrad Sangma?
Sangma, who was born on January 27, 1978, in Tura, Meghalaya, became chief minister in the BJP-backed cabinet following a hung assembly in 2018. He is one of India’s youngest chief ministers. Purno Agitok Sangma, a nine-time Lok Sabha Member and former NPP leader, is his father.
He attended St. Columba’s School in New Delhi, the University of Pennsylvania, and Imperial College in London. He began his political career in 1990 as the campaign manager for his father, who was then a member of Congress. Senior Sangma was kicked out of Congress in 1999. He co-founded the Nationalist Congress Party with Sharad Pawar (NCP), as per a report by CNBC-TV18.
The NCP elected Conrad Sangma and his elder brother James Sangma to the Meghalaya Assembly. Sangma was assigned numerous major ministries, including Finance, Power, Tourism, and Information Technology, and delivered his first state budget within 10 days after becoming the state’s Finance Minister.
Sangma was elected to Parliament from the Tura constituency after his father died in the middle of the term. He resigned from his seat following the Meghalaya State Assembly, but the constituency stayed in family hands after his younger sister Agatha Sangma was elected in a by-election from Tura. Sangma took over the leadership of the NPP after his father died.
He has since sought to improve the state’s infrastructure, stimulate tourism, and promote industrial development in Meghalaya. Sangma is an accomplished musician. He enjoys heavy metal band Iron Maiden and enjoys playing the guitar. Sangma is also a sports enthusiast, having served as President of the Meghalaya Cricket Association and Sports Academy.
Possibility of an Alliance?
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati ahead of the counting of votes for the assembly elections, reports said.
Sarma, who heads the BJP-led North East Development Alliance (NEDA), met Sangma at a hotel in Guwahati on Tuesday night, PTI quoted sources as saying. “Sangma was in Guwahati last night and Sarma, his friend, came and visited him at the hotel. They had a one-to-one meeting,” a source told PTI.
The BJP and NPP ran the government in Meghalaya for the last five years as a part of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) but the two parties fought the elections on their own.
On Tuesday evening, Sarma claimed that there will be no hung assembly in either Tripura, Nagaland or Meghalaya, and the BJP and its partners will form governments with an absolute majority in all three states.
No NEDA members will enter into any alliance with either the Congress or the TMC, he claimed, adding that the next Meghalaya chief minister will be decided after considering the number of seats won by the BJP.
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