Conrad Kongkal Sangma, president of the National People’s Party (NPP) that secured 19 seats in the Meghalaya Assembly elections, was sworn in as the new chief minister of the state on Tuesday, 6 March.
The NPP, along with the BJP (2), UDP (6), PDF (4), HSPDP (2) and an Independent candidate, will form the new government, after Sangma met Governor Ganga Prasad and staked claim for the same.
Sangma is the son of former Meghalaya chief minister (1988-1990) and Lok Sabha speaker (1996-1998) Purno Agitok Sangma.
Background
Conrad Kongkal Sangma was born on 27 January 1978 in Tura town of West Garo Hills district, and completed his primary education from St Columba's School in New Delhi. He pursued a BBA in Entrepreneurial Management and an MBA in Finance from University of Pennsylvania and Imperial College London respectively, reported Money Control.
Along with his brother James, he was inducted into the state Assembly after the 2008 state elections. Gaining popularity in that year itself, he was made the Cabinet minister for finance, power, and tourism in the state government. At the young age of 30, he became the finance minister of Meghalaya.
According to The Indian Express, in 2009, he was elected to the position of Leader of Opposition of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, a role he carried out till 2013.
After his father, PA Sangma, passed away in 2016, he was elected as the Member of Parliament from his hometown constituency of Tura, Money Control reported.
He is currently the Lok Sabha MP from Tura.
Life Outside Politics
While Sangma will certainly have his hands full as the new chief minister of Meghalaya, his interests seem to pan beyond the realm of politics as well. According to The Indian Express, Sangma is quite the social worker and is the president of the PA Sangma Foundation that helps run four colleges in rural Meghalaya.
Along with this, he also has a marked interest in sports and serves as the president of both the Meghalaya Cricket Association and the Sports Academy.
Sangma is married to Mehtab Agitok Sangma, and the couple have a daughter together.
(With inputs from The Indian Express and Money Control)
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