Sangma's son wins Tura by-poll by nearly two lakh votes

National People's Party (NPP) candidate Conrad K. Sangma won the by-election to the Tura Lok Sabha constituency in Meghalaya by nearly two lakh votes.

Conrad -- the youngest son of late former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A. Sangma -- defeated Congress rival Dikanchi D. Shira, wife of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, by 1,92,212 votes in a straight contest.

The by-poll was necessitated by Purno Sangma's death on March 4.

Conrad, 38, secured 3,29,497 votes while Shira, a legislator from Mahendraganj constituency, bagged 1,37,285 votes.

As many as 16,597 voters went for 'None of the Above' option.

The by-poll held on Monday saw 77.66 percent of the 6,22,189 voters casting their votes at 945 polling booths across five districts of Garo Hills in western Meghalaya.

The Congress was defeated in almost all 24 assembly segments, which cover Tura parliamentary seat, barring Ampati assembly constituency represented by her husband Mukul Sangma.

In fact, Shira even failed to win in her own Mahendraganj constituency, which she won in her maiden assembly election by 6,859 votes. In this segment, Shira received 11,201 votes while Conrad secured 12,301 votes.

"I won because people voted for my father. It is a befitting tribute to my father, who was loved and respected by the people of the Garo hills for his contribution," Conrad told reporters here.

"I will definitely work to fulfil his dreams."

Conrad, who was supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party and regional parties like the United Democratic Party, is a former Meghalaya finance minister and opposition leader in the assembly.

The senior Sangma represented Tura in the Lok Sabha from 1977 to 2008, except for the 1989-91 period.

IANS

--rrk/tsb/bg