Here is a quick look at the journey of Congress' Mukul Sangma.
Incumbent Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma today won both the seats he contested from in the state's assembly polls. Sangma contested the election from the Songsak constituency and bested NPP candidate Nihim Shira by a margin of 1,300 votes. He also contested from the Ampati constituency, where he beat BJP's Bakul Hajong by over 9,000 votes.
After entering politics in 1993 as an independent candidate, Sangma became the face of the Congress in Meghalaya when he joined the party in 2010 and was appointed the chief minister. Following the resignation of erstwhile CM Dr DD Lapang, Sangma has ruled the state for the last seven years and faced two assembly elections during his reign.
Here's a quick look at Sangma's journey in the world of politics:
Early life:
Sangma was born on April 20, 1965, to teachers Binoy Bhushan M Marak and Roshana Sangma at Ampati village, which is now the headquarters of South West Garo Hills district. He completed his schooling from the Government High School of the village in 1982 and moved to Shillong for further studies. He enrolled at St Anthony's College in Shillong where he cleared his pre-university examination in Science in 1984. In 1989, he graduated in medicine at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal.
Social life:
In 1991, he joined Zikzak Public Health Centre as a Medical and Health Officer where he encountered people from diverse walks of life. In his capacity, he served the masses and learnt about their problems. This inspired him to work for their betterment.
Political life:
When Sangma entered politics in 1993, he successfully went on to win his first election as an independent candidate and was appointed as chairman of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation. In 1998, he joined the Congress and was re-elected from the same constituency.
In 2004, Congress fielded him from the Tura constituency in the Lok Sabha elections against veteran leader PA Sangma, who was holding a tight grip on the Garo Hills at the time. Although Mukul was defeated in the polls, he continued to maintain a strong hold on his party. From Home and Education Minister, he was appointed as the deputy chief minister in 2005, under CM DD Lapang. But after six months, he stepped down from the post following police firing, which claimed five lives at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills district.
In 2008, he was reelected from Ampatigiri constituency for the fourth time. He was again appointed as the deputy CM and went on to replace Lapang as CM, who resigned from the party.
Since then, Sangma has held the CM position in the state.
Assets:
According to an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report, the CM holds a total of Rs 13.59 crore worth of assets as of 2018. They include movable and immovable assets worth Rs 3.93 crore and Rs 9.66 crore, respectively.
However, the report showed that Sangma's fortunes had declined by around 6 percent since 2013.
