Former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma Passes Away at 68

Sangma was Speaker of Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998 and Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. (Photo: PTI)

PA Sangma, veteran politician and former Lok Sabha speaker passed away at Delhi’s RML Hospital on Friday morning. He was 68.

Sangma was the Speaker of Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998 and Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990.

He was a co-founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and remained a member of the Lok Sabha for eight terms.

Sangma resigned from NCP on 20 June 2012 after opposition from Sharad Pawar over his Presidential candidature. Sangma, whose candidature had been proposed by AIADMK and BJD, contested against Pranab Mukherjee for the post of the President that year.

After losing the Presidential bid, Sangma launched the National People’s Party which managed to get two seats of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in the 2013 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly elections.

Cutting across party lines, politicians condoled Sangma’s death.