Conrad K. Sangma | |
|---|---|
 Official Portrait | |
| Chief Minister of Meghalaya | |
| Assumed office 6 March 2018 | |
| Governor | Ganga Prasad Tathagata Roy R. N. Ravi Satya Pal Malik B. D. Mishra Phagu Chauhan C. H. Vijayashankar |
| Deputy Chief Minister | Prestone Tynsong (since 6 March 2018) Sniawbhalang Dhar (since 7 March 2023) |
| Preceded by | Mukul Sangma |
| Member ofMeghalaya Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 27 August 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Agatha Sangma |
| Constituency | South Tura |
| In office 2008–2013 | |
| Preceded by | Clement Marak |
| Succeeded by | Clement Marak |
| Constituency | Selsella |
| Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha | |
| In office 19 May 2016 – 27 August 2018 | |
| Preceded by | P. A. Sangma |
| Succeeded by | Agatha Sangma |
| Constituency | Tura |
| Minister of Finance, Power and Tourism (Government of Meghalaya) | |
| In office 2008–2009 | |
| Chief Minister | Donkupar Roy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Conrad Kongkal Sangma (1978-01-27)27 January 1978 (age 47)[citation needed] |
| Political party | National People's Party |
| Other political affiliations | National Democratic Alliance Nationalist Congress Party (formerly) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | James Sangma (brother) Agatha Sangma (sister) Christi Sangma (sister) |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Politician |
Conrad Kongkal Sangma (born 27 January 1978) is an Indian politician andChief Minister ofMeghalaya since 2018.[1] He is the national president of theNational People's Party. His father,P. A. Sangma, was former Chief Minister and formerSpeaker of the Lok Sabha. Conrad Sangma was also aMember of Parliament fromTura (2016–2018).[2] He has been representing the South Tura constituency since 2018 and had represented Selsella constituency from 2008 to 2013. Sangma was also Minister of Finance, Power and Tourism, Government of Meghalaya from 2008 to 2009. He has served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.[3] He has also served as the National President of the Nationalist Youth Congress.
Upon completing his studies, Sangma started his political career in the late 1990s, as the campaign manager for his father,P. A. Sangma for theNationalist Congress Party (NCP).[4] He contested his first election in 2004, where he campaigned for a seat in theGaro Hills Autonomous District Council and lost by 182 votes.[5] He was first elected to the State Assembly along with his brotherJames, both as NCP members in the2008 state elections and later held several important portfolios in the state cabinet,[6] including those of Finance, Power, Tourism, GAD and IT, and presented his first annual budget forMeghalaya within 10 days of debuting as a minister. From 2009 to 2013 Sangma held the post of Leader of Opposition in theMeghalaya Legislative Assembly. Sangma lost his seat in the2013 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election.[7]
In March 2016 he was elected National President of theNational People's Party (NPP) following his father's death earlier that year.[8] In May that year, contesting fromTura in the by-election to theLok Sabha, he won by a record margin of 1.92 lakh votes.[9]
Sangma's party, the NPP, came second behind theIndian National Congress winning 19 seats at the2018 Meghalaya legislative assembly election.[10] Requiring 30 seats to form a government in the State, the NPP allied with other regional parties taking the number to 34. Subsequently, Sangma staked claim to form government upon meeting the Governor of MeghalayaGanga Prasad with a letter of support from the 34members of the legislative assembly, that included 19 from NPP, six from theUnited Democratic Party, four from thePeople's Democratic Front, two each from theHill State People's Democratic Party and theBharatiya Janata Party, and anindependent,[11] and was declared the Chief Minister-elect.[12] He was sworn in on 6 March, replacingMukul Sangma who is not related to him. In August 2018, he contested the by-election for theSouth Tura seat and polled 13,656 votes after his sister Agatha Sangma vacated her seat. Sangma defeated his nearest Congress rival Charlotte W Momin by a margin of over 8,400 votes.[13] He was elected as Meghalaya Chief Minister for the second term on 7 March 2023.[14]Sangma's party, the NPP, became the single largest party, winning 26 seats at the2023 Meghalaya legislative assembly election.Later 12 from UDP, 2 from BJP, 2 from HSDP and 2 independents decided to support the government.
Conrad Sangma was born on 27 January 1978 inTura, a town in theWest Garo Hills district,Meghalaya.[15] His fatherPurno Sangma was a formerChief Minister of Meghalaya andSpeaker of the Lok Sabha, and mother Soradini, a homemaker.[16] His siblings, older brotherJames and younger sisterAgatha, are politicians with the NPP. Another sister Christy,[17] however, has remained non-political.[18] Conrad was brought up in Delhi and was educated at theSt. Columba's School there.[5] He received abachelor's degree in business administration in entrepreneurial management from theWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, before completing hisMBA in finance fromImperial College London.[2][19]
Sangma married Mehtab Chandee, a doctor by profession, on 29 May 2009,[20] and they have two daughters: Amara (bornc. 2011) and Katelyn (born 2017).[21][22] Apart from politics, Sangma has been associated with social work as President of the PA Sangma Foundation, which functions for the betterment of sectors of education and environment, and also runs four colleges in rural Meghalaya. He also currently serves as President of theMeghalaya Cricket Association and Sports Academy.[23]
Conrad Sangma plays the electric guitar and is a fan of the heavy metal bandIron Maiden. In May 2020, he received significant notice for posting a video of himself on Instagram playing the Iron Maiden song "Wasted Years".[24][25]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forTura 2016 – 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Meghalaya 6 March 2018 – Present | Succeeded by Incumbent |
