TURA: The National People’s Party (NPP) went to this election with a call for change and change it did pushing the ruling Congress in the second position in Garo Hills, which sends 24 legislators to the 60-member House.
The Conrad K Sangma-led party, which virtually vanquished the Congress in its bastion pushing the NPP tally to 11 seats, surprised many a political pundit and astrologer. The Congress followed with 10.
For NPP that only five years ago was staring at a
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mere two wins — James Pangsang K Sangma in Dadenggre and Nihim D Shira in Songsak — this was a victory like never before.
The party’s juggernaut rolled through East, North and West Garo Hills districts crushing on its way several Congress heavyweights, like former chief minister Salseng C Marak who was defeated by his arch rival Timothy D Shira in Resubelpara (North Garo Hills) by a margin of 1,763 votes.
Similarly, another Congress strongman, Cherak W Momin, was ousted from Kharkutta by NPP’s Rupert Momin by 809 votes.
Its phenomenal win in the two most prestigious seats of North and South Tura rallied supporters who came out onto the streets to celebrate even as counting was underway.
Former Union minister of state and late PA Sangma’s youngest daughter Agatha K Sangma, who was initially second in the race after BJP’s Billykid A Sangma, snatched South Tura seat by 1,603 votes. This is Agatha’s first contest in a state election.
The results of North Tura made the taste of victory sweeter for the NPP where another Congress heavyweight and sitting legislator Noverfield R Marak fell by the wayside to the NPP’s Thomas A Sangma, a former Rajya Sabha MP, who edged him out by a large margin of 2096 votes.
Sitting NCP candidate John Leslee K Sangma had to settle for fourth position after Congress’s Grithalson Arengh.
Out of the 23 assembly seats where elections took place, the NPP bagged 11 while the Congress won in 10 seats. Only one Independent candidate, Samuel Sangma in Baghmara, won while the NCP opened its account with Saleng A Sangma in Gambegre. The BJP, despite an electrifying campaign in the Garo Hills, failed to open its account in any of the seats.
NPP wave fails
Despite a strong NPP wave in this western part of the state, the Congress was able to hold their fort in their traditional bastions. The Congress proved their battle hardiness in the South West Garo Hills district where all three seats went to the party.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma retained his Ampati seat defeating Bakul Hajong of the BJP with a margin of 8,104 votes, a reduced margin in comparison to the 2013 elections when his margin was 9096 votes.
The spouse of the chief minister Dikkanchi D Shira, retained her Mahendraganj seat defeating the BJP’s Premananda Koch by 7861 votes, a rise from the 2,013 election results when her victory margin against the UDP’s Nimarson Momin was 6,859 votes.
However, the victory margin was not the same for the younger brother of the chief minister, Zenith Sangma, in Rangsakona constituency. Zenith defeated the NPP’s Subir Marak by only 1962 votes. In the 2013 elections Zenith had defeated Subir by a huge margin of 6070 votes.
A major setback to the Congress was in the plains belt region of West Garo Hills where its senior party candidate and Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Abu Taher Mondol was defeated by the NPP’s S G Esmatur Mominin by a margin of 1,134 votes.
Even three-time legislator and senior Congressman Limison D Sangma lost to a young sitting MDC from the NPP Benedic R Marak by 624 votes. Consolation for Limison was the victory of his younger brother Jimmy D Sangma (INC) from Tikrikilla who defeated sitting Independent MLA Michael T Sangma.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s major campaign rally at Phulbari clearly failed to arouse the voters’ interest as the BJP’s Binoy Ghosh had to settle for the 4th position with only 4,570 votes.
The lone consolation for the Congress in the plain region was Rajabala where its candidate Dr Azad Zaman made a surprise win defeating sitting Independent legislator Ashahel D Shira by 938 votes.
The northern region of Garo Hills swung in favour of the NPP which grabbed three out of the four seats where contest took place. It was only at Mendipathar constituency that the NPP candidate and former Congress man Frankenstein W Momin was outsmarted by sitting MLA and Congress candidate Marthon Sangma who won by 2677 votes.
While the NPP gained in Raksamgre, Phulbari, North and South Tura, Bajengdoba, Resubelpara, Kharkutta, Rongjeng, Siju-Rongara, Dalu, yet it lost the Songsak seat held by its two time legislator Nihim D Shira who was defeated by chief minister Mukul Sangma by 1830 votes.
The Congress, on the other hand, suffered reverses in as many as eight constituencies.