: Sangmas vs Sangmas in Meghalaya: Outsider issue also raises its head #IndiaNEWS #National Chief Minister and National Peoples Party (NPP) supremo Conrad Kongkal Sangma and former Chief Minister

Sangmas vs Sangmas in Meghalaya: Outsider issue also raises its head #IndiaNEWS #National
 Chief Minister and National Peoples Party (NPP) supremo Conrad Kongkal Sangma and former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma (2010-2018) along with their family members are the main contenders in the Garo hill region, which accounts for 24 seats in the 60-member Meghalaya assembly.
For more than one-and-a-half decades the chief ministers are representing the Garo hills, forcing the United Democratic Party (UDP), which is contesting on 46 seats, to raise the demand that it is time for a Khasi chief minister. The UDP is a part of the 6-party Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government led by the NPP.
The tribal dominated Meghalaya has three major regions Khasi, Jaintia and Garo.
Conrad and his brother James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma, a minister in the MDA government, are contesting the polls. Their sister and former union minister Agatha Sangma is the incumbent Lok Sabha MP from Tura, one of Meghalayas two parliamentary seats.
Conrads uncle Thomas Sangma, his brother-in-law Sanjay Sangma, cousin Ian Botham Sangma are in the fray. Agathas brother-in-law Chireng Peter Marak, is also contesting as a NPP candidate.
Mukul Sangmas wife Dikkanchi Shira, daughter Miani Shira, brother Zenith Sangma and Zeniths wife Sadhiyarani Sangma are all sitting MLAs and are seeking re-election.
Conrad, son of former Lok Sabha speaker and late union minister, P A Sangma, won the Tura Lok Sabha seat in 2016 after it fell vacant following the death of P. A. Sangma, founder of NPP.
Conrad defeated his nearest rival Dikkanchi D. Shira, wife of former Meghalaya Chief minister Mukul Sangma. After his election to the state assembly in 2018, Agatha Sangma won the Tura LS seat. Deputy Chief Minister and NPPs national Vice-President Prestone Tynsong said that if the party comes to power, the new chief minister (from the NPP) would be elected by the party MLAs.
Twelve MLAs, led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, who had won in the 2018 Assembly election as Congress nominees, joined the Trinamool in November 2021, making the West Bengal-based party the main opposition in the northeastern state overnight.
Mukul Sangma is contesting from two assembly seats Songsak and Tikrikilla both in the Garo hills while Conrad is seeking re-election from the South Tura seat. The BJP has fielded Bernad M Marak against the NPP chief.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J. P. Nadda during their election campaign criticised the Sangmas for engaging in family based politics.
Assam Chief Minister and one of the BJPs northeast strategists Himanta Biswa Sarma during the election campaign criticised the Sangmas and said These people are such a privileged lot that even the child in the mothers womb is MLA designate.

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