Shillong, March 10: Meghalaya once again heading for Sangma versus Sangma battle. The NPP, which took a drubbing in the last assembly polls, hopes to use the “PA Sangma magic” in the Garo Hills.
Two days after the All India Congress Committee has declared Zenith Sangma as its candidate for Tura seat, the NPP on Monday said that its veteran politician and the mascot of the party PA Sangma will be contesting from the prestigious Tura Parliamentary constituency.
67-year-old Sangma, who unsuccessfully contested the presidential election as an opposition candidate against Pranab Mukherjee, will contest the general election as a candidate of National People’s Party (NPP).
His daughter and former Union Minister of State Agatha Sangma, who is sitting MP from Tura, said she will not contest the upcoming election to pave way for her father.
NPP is expected to formally join National Democratic Alliance soon. Purno is a vastly experienced political leader and has got several quivers in his archery.
This announcement came two days after the AICC has declared Meghalaya Chief Minister’s Brother Zenith Sangma as Congress candidate for the Tura Constituency.
Zenith M Sangma is presently MLA from Rangsakona (ST) constituency in West Garo Hills. In the by-election held in May, 2008 following the resignation of PA Sangma as MP after he was elected to the State Assembly, Agatha who contested for the first time defeated Zenith, the brother of Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma by a huge margin.
Zenith was not a legislator then as he had lost in the Assembly elections in February 2008. Whereas in the Lok Sabha polls held in 2009, Agatha, who contested and won against Congress candidate Deborah Marak and could get the winning margin of only 17,945 votes.
Even as the Tura Lok Sabha seat is currently held by Agatha Kongkal Sangma, daughter of the former Lok Sabha speaker and Nationalist People’s Party (NPP) president Purno A’gitok Sangma, However, in recent years the rise of Dr. Mukul Sangma as a leader in Garo Hills has made the atmosphere favourable for Congress in the last Assembly election.
While the NPP is last Assembly polls had to face a serious debacle with many of its sitting legislators loosing election. Tura is always considered as PA Sangma’s stronghold as he had represented the seat for eight times in the Lok Sabha between 1977 and 2008. He then handed over the baton to his daughter Agatha.
PA sangma was expelled from the Congress in 1999 along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar for raising a banner of revolt against Sonia Gandhi over her foreign origin issue. Subsequently, the trio formed the Nationalist Congress Party.
However, in 2004 he left NCP and formed a regional party which later merged with Trinamool Congress. He later rejoined NCP, but only to part ways with it later and unsuccessfully contested the presidential election against Pranab Mukherjee. He was supported by BJP, BJD, AIADMK and others.
Meanwhile, the National People’s Party (NPP) of Meghalaya has demanded a high level inquiry over alleged nexus between Meghalaya’s Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and outfit group ANVC(B). During a press conference, NPP leaders reiterated said that, in an open letter to Mukul Sangma on Dec 28, 2013, released in media, the outfit group had threatened to return to the jungle. The NPP has renewed its demand for resignation of Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma.(SP News)
