LS Polls -Meghalaya: Incumbent MP and NPP candidate Agatha Sangma files nomination for Tura seat

It was indeed a show of strength by the NPP as party candidate and incumbent MP Agatha Sangma filed her nomination in Tura today for the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Agatha filed her nomination at the Tura DC office in presence of her mother Soradini K Sangma, her elder brothers Conrad Sangma (Meghalaya CM) and James Sangma, Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong, Meghalaya Power Minister Abu Taher Mondal and other senior NPP leaders.

NPP workers as well as Agatha’s well wishers queued up along the road to the DC office to extend their wishes before the filing of the nomination.

Soon after filing her nomination, Agatha said, “I feel that this election is more about continuing on the path of development and I feel that because NPP has given such a wonderful performance in it’s governance and me being a Member of Parliament belonging to the NPP, it is a team work. This is a sign that the team and the entire NPP is something that is accepted by the people.”

Conrad Sangma who is the NPP chief, shared his thoughts in a post on X and wrote, “Our party candidate for 2-Tura Lok Sabha constituency @agathasangma filed her nomination papers for the ensuing election today.

We are confident in her leadership and we believe that she will continue the legacy of our father (L) Purno Agitok Sangma to champion the cause of our people.

Wishing her the very best!
Let us all unite and Vote for NPP!”

Who is Agatha Sangma?

MP Agatha Sangma of NPP who has won the seat twice will be looking to carry forward her father PA Sangma’s legacy who had represented the prestigious seat as an MP 3 times from 1977 to 1989, 1991 to 2008 and 2014 to 2016. The NPP has fielded Agatha Sangma against TMC’s Zenith Sangma, three-time Rangsakona MLA, former Meghalaya Sports Minister and brother of former Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma and Congress’s Saleng Sangma, a three-time MLA from Gambegre.

It was in May 2008 when Agatha Sangma succeeded her father as an MP from Tura for a brief period till May 2009.

Agatha Sangma was first elected to the Lok Sabha in a by-election in May 2008, after her father P.A. Sangma resigned from the seat to enter state politics.

Later she was re-elected to Lok Sabha in 2009. In 2014, Agatha was again succeeded by her father PA Sangma until his demise in 2016.

In 2018 Agatha successfully contested the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election on a National People’s Party (NPP) ticket from the South Tura constituency and polled 6,499 votes.

But she submitted her resignation as member of the House in an attempt to pave way for her brother Conrad Sangma to contest the bypoll from her constituency and become the Chief Minister of Meghalaya and the head of the NPP-led MDA government.

In 2019, Agatha Sangma again retained the seat in the Lok Sabha elections.

At the age of 29, Sangma became the youngest Member of Parliament ever to be appointed as an Union Minister.

She was the Minister of State for Rural Development from May 2009 – October 2012 and had resigned from this post during the cabinet reshuffle in October 2012.

Meghalaya will vote on April 19 in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections for the two LS seats – Shillong and Tura.