Meghalaya bypoll: CM's wife and NPP's Mehtab Chandee wins by more than 4,500 votes

Shillong, Nov 23 (IANS) The ruling dispensation National People’s Party (NPP) has won the by-election from the Gambegre assembly seat by breaching the Congress bastion. The NPP candidate Mehtab Chandee A. Sangma won the bypoll by a margin of 4,594 votes defeating her nearest rival Trinamool Congress candidate Sadhiarani M. Sangma.

Mehtab Chandee secured 12,678 votes while Sadhiarani M. Sangma got 8084 votes, which is lower than the 8381 votes she secured in last year’s assembly polls when she fought against Saleng Sangma.

Chandee told reporters here, “I am very happy with the win. It was people who contested on my behalf in this by-election and I will leave no stone unturned for the development of Gambegre assembly constituency."

Jingjang M. Marak of the Congress came in third position in Saturday’s results.

Congress’ Saleng A. Sangma has been winning the seat three consecutive times since it was created ahead of the 2013 assembly elections. Although Saleng has been a legislator for four consecutive times, the first time he won from Dalamgiri constituency, which was later merged into Gambegre.

After winning Lok Sabha polls this year, Saleng A. Sangma vacated this seat necessitating the bypoll.

Mehtab Chandee is the wife of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and this is the first time she forayed into electoral politics. She contested against seasoned politician like Sadhiarani M. Sangma of Trinamool Congress who has previously contested the seat twice unsuccessfully.

Sadhiarani M. Sangma is a sitting Member of the District Council (MDC) in West Garo Hills district and her husband, Zenith Sangma, is a former State Minister and brother of the current Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Mukul M Sangma.

Meanwhile, BJP’s Bernard N. Marak also contested this seat; however, he could not leave any mark in the by-election. He also unsuccessfully contested last year’s assembly polls against Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

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