Agatha hopeful that people of Tura have not forgotten PA

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A Sangma passed away three years ago, but his daughter Agatha Sangma, the ruling NPP candidate for the Tura Lok Sabha seat is hopeful that the people of the constituency have not forgotten the 'tallest' leader while campaigning for the seat.

Agatha is pitted against Leader of the Opposition in the Meghalya Assembly and senior Congress leader Mukul Sangma in the Tura seat, the election for which will be held on April 11.

On the campaign trails in the five Garo Hills district of Meghalaya which fall under the Tura seat, Agatha and her brothers - Chief Minister Conrad Sagma and Home Minister James Sangma - remind the voters the legacy of their father P A Sangma and how he devoted his life for the Garos.

"I am here to serve the people. I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by the party, the NPP. I hope the people of Garo Hills will never forget my father for the contribution he has made for them," Agatha told PTI.

P A Sangma had represented Tura Parliamentary constituency for over four decades as its MP.

Agatha is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha seat she had once represented in 2009 when her father returned to the state politics.

Conrad Sangma won the byelection to the Tura seat in 2016 after P A Sangma died, but he resigned last year when he won the South Tura Assembly bypoll after he became the chief minister of Meghalaya.

Tura seat has been the stronghold of P A Sangma and his family.

Conrad admitted that the NPP managed to wrestle the seat from the might of the ruling Congress in 2014 and 2016 in Meghalaya.

"We won the elections in our worst. People of Garo Hills believe in our leader P A Sangma. It is all the more important that we take his mission forward and try to achieve the development goal for the people," Conrad told media persons at the sideline of a rally at North Garo Hills recently.

Agatha, who filed her nomination for the Tura seat on Friday said "the focus has always been development. The mandate will reflect the faith the people have on the government. There are a lot of development issues that we will be working together with the NPP leading the government in the state and I as the MP."