By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 16: The Gambegre Assembly seat has become the stage to play out dynastic politics in Meghalaya.
The constituency was vacated by Saleng A Sangma of Congress after he was elected to the Tura parliamentary seat, necessitating a bye-election.
The National People’s Party is all set to field Mehtab Chandee, the wife of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma who took the baton from his father, the late Purno Agitok Sangma, along with siblings James and Agatha Sangma.
Sangma senior was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, a Union minister, and the Chief Minister of the State. While James Sangma, a former Cabinet minister, lost the 2023 Assembly polls, Agatha Sangma lost the Lok Sabha elections in April.
Mukul Manda Sangma, Conrad Sangma’s predecessor, has not been far behind in dynastic politics.
His party, the Trinamool Congress is fielding Sadhiarani Sangma in Gambegre. She is the MDC of the GHADC and the wife of Mukul Sangma’s brother and former minister Zenith M Sangma, who lost the last Assembly polls.
Mukul Sangma is Meghalaya’s longest-serving chief minister but his nine years in the top job on the trot is likely to be broken by Conrad Sangma.
The former CM has two more members of his family in politics. While wife Dikkanchi D Shira, a former MLA, lost the last Assembly polls, daughter Miani D Shira continues to be a legislator as the representative of Ampati.
Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma defended the move of the NPP to field the CM’s wife from Gambegre. “People from Gambegre requested madam to be the candidate and party leaders had to listen to the request,” he said.
He also defended the dynasty politics in the party, saying a pastor would want his children to be pastors while an IAS officer would also want his children to be IAS officers to serve the people.
Earlier, he said the main fight in Gambegre would be between the NPP and the TMC as “people know Congress does not have a future”. He also claimed many Congress and TMC leaders have joined the NPP ahead of the bypoll.