P. A. Sangma

Purno Agitok Sangma
11th Speaker of the Lok Sabha
In office
25 May 1996 – 23 March 1998
Deputy Suraj Bhan
Preceded by Shivraj Patil
Succeeded by Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi
Constituency Tura
Chief Minister of Meghalaya
In office
6 February 1988 – 25 March 1990
Governor Bhishma Narain Singh
Hari Dev Joshi
Abubakar Abdul Rahim
Preceded by Williamson Sangma
Succeeded by Brington Buhai Lyngdoh
Member of the India Parliament
for Tura
In office
1977–1989
Preceded by K. R. Marak
Succeeded by Sanford Marak
In office
1991 – 20 March 2008
Preceded by Sanford Marak
Succeeded by Agatha Sangma
In office
May 2014 – Incumbent
Preceded by Agatha Sangma
Personal details
Born 1 September 1947
Chapathi, India
Political party National People's Party (2013-present)
Other political
affiliations		 Independent (2012-2013)
Nationalist Congress Party

(1999-2004; 2005-2012)
All India Trinamool Congress (2004-2005)
Indian National Congress (before 1999)

Alma mater St. Anthony's College, Shillong
Dibrugarh University

Purno Agitok Sangma (born September 1, 1947) is an Indian politician who was Speaker of Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998 and Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. He was a co-founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and remained a member of the Lok Sabha for eight terms, i.e. 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Lok Sabha. Currently he represents the Tura (ST) constituency in the West Garo Hills district in the sixteenth Lok Sabha.[1] He was also the member of Mamata Banerjee's AITMC/TMC. He also founded National People's Party on 6 January 2013 with Book as its National symbol.

Early life and education

P. A. Sangma was born on 1 September 1947 in village Chapathi in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya to Dipchon Ch. Marak and Smt. Chimri A. Sangma.[2]

After completing his graduation in (B.A. (Hons.) from St. Anthony's College, Shillong, he went to Dibrugarh University in Assam for his

Career

In 1973, he became Vice-President of the Pradesh Youth Congress in Meghalaya and became the General Secretary the next year. He served as the General Secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee of Meghalaya from 1975 to 1980.

In 1977, he was elected to the 6th Lok Sabha from Tura (Lok Sabha constituency) and remained a member of the Lok Sabha until 14th Lok Sabha, except for the 9th Lok Sabha. From 1980 to 1988, he served the Union Government of India under various capacities. He served as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. In 1991, when he was elected to the Lok Sabha again, he again served the Union government until 1996 when he became Speaker of Lok Sabha.

The NCP general secretary was expelled from the Congress on May 20, 1999, along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar for raising the banner of revolt against Sonia Gandhi over her foreign origin issue.[3] He was one of the founders of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar in 1999, after their expulsion.[4] In January 2004, P.A.Sangma created a split in the NCP. This happened after Sharad Pawar became close to the NCP's former rival Sonia Gandhi. After losing a battle for the NCP election symbol, Sangma later merged his faction with the current Chief Minister of West Bengal and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, forming the Nationalist Trinamool Congress. He resigned from his Lok Sabha seat on October 10, 2005 as a member of AITMC/TMC, and was reelected as NCP. candidate on February 2006.

In the Lok Sabha elections 2004 Sangma was one of two NTC MPs elected. He resigned from 14th Lok Sabha in March 2008, to take part in Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, 2008

Sangma resigned from NCP on June 20, 2012 after opposition from Sharad Pawar over his Presidential candidature. It is to be seen how a founder member's resignation is taken by NCP as founder member. Sangma whose candidature has been proposed by AIADMK, and BJD and later, supported by BJP as well, contested against Pranab Mukherjee for the post of the President. He lost to Pranab Mukherjee in the results declared on 23 July 2012. He charged Pranab for graft.[5] Former Union Minister and a Congress tribal leader Arvind Netam also came strongly in favour of the candidature of Sangma for the presidential post.[6][7][8]

On 5 January 2013, Sangma launched National People's Party[9] on national level. The National People's Party managed to get 2 seats of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election, 2013.

Presidential election

On 22 July 2012, Pranab Mukherjee was declared the victor over P.A. Sangma, crossing the half-way mark of 525,140 votes after votes in half the states had been tallied. While securing the requires quota, Mukherjee secured 558,194 votes to Sangma's 239,966.[10][11] After the final results were published, Pranab Mukherjee secured 7,13,424 value of votes, while P. A. Sangma secured 3,17,032 values of votes. The Returning Officer for the Election, and the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, Vivek Agnihotri, then, declared Pranab Mukherjee President elect to the Office of the President of India,as the 13th President of India.

  MPs MLAs Total
Pranab Mukherjee[12] 373,116 340,647 713,763
P. A. Sangma[13] 145,848 170,139 315,987

Positions held

President, (i) Indian Parliamentary Group, (ii) National Group of Inter-Parliamentary Union; and (iii) India Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

Personal life

Sangma's daughter Agatha Sangma was elected in the same constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha elections, and was also the youngest Minister of State in the former UPA ministry. His son, Conrad Sangma, is the Leader of the Opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Sixteenth Lok Sabha Members Alphabetical List".
  2. ↑ http://www.maratechnology.com/p-a-sangma-biography-who-is-p-a-sangma/
  3. ↑ "CWC expels threesome for six years". Rediff.com, May 20, 1999.
  4. ↑ "National Congress Party Origins". NCP official website, retrieved May 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ "BJP supports Sangma after division in NDA". 21 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "It's time that a tribal becomes President: Netam". 29 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "Sangma withdraws himself from presidential race, seeks consensus for Abdual Kalam". Headlines today. 16 June 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "I have quit NCP, will contest presidential polls: PA Sangma". 20 June 2012.
  9. ↑ news.oneindia.in/2013/01/05/sangma-launches-his-party-with-alliance-with-nda-1125781.html
  10. ↑ "Pranab Mukherjee voted India's 13th President". Times of India. 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  11. ↑ "Pranab Mukherjee is 13th President". Deccan Herald. 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  12. ↑ http://164.100.47.5/pres2012/pressrelease/English.pdf
  13. ↑ http://164.100.47.5/pres2012/pressrelease/English.pdf
  14. ↑ Purno on Garo Land Meghalaya Times, August 10, 2012.

External links

See also

Political offices
Preceded by
Williamson Sangma		 Chief Minister of Meghalaya
1988–1990 		Succeeded by
Brington Buhai Lyngdoh
Preceded by
Shivraj Patil		 Speaker of the Lok Sabha
1996–1998 		Succeeded by
Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi