Purno Agitok Sangma (1 September 1947 – 4 March 2016) was an Indian politician who served as the 11th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998 and the 4th Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. He served as a member of the Lok Sabha from Tura in Meghalaya from 2014 to 2016, 1991 to 2008 and from 1977 to 1989 and the Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the Rao ministry from 1995 to 1996. He was the co-founder of the Nationalist Congress Party and founder of the National People's Party.
Sangma contested the 2012 Indian presidential election, supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the AIADMK. However he lost to Pranab Mukherjee of the Indian National Congress. Sangma was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, posthumously in 2017, in the field of Public Affairs and was the first recipient of the award from Meghalaya.
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Early and personal life
Sangma was born on 1 September 1947 in Chapahati, a village in the erstwhile Garo Hills district of Assam (in present-day West Garo Hills, Meghalaya), to Dipchon Ch. Marak and Chimri A. Sangma as one of their seven children. He lost his father when he was 11 and had to quit his studies due to poverty. He was helped to return to school by a Salesian Father Giovanni Battista Busolin. Later, Sangma obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Anthony's College in Shillong before shifting to Dibrugarh in Assam, where he taught in the Don Bosco High School while pursuing a Master of Arts degree in international politics from Dibrugarh University.
Sangma married Soradini K. Sangma in 1973. They have two sons and two daughters together. His son Conrad serves as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya and his daughter Agatha is a former Member of Parliament from the Tura constituency. Agatha was elected from Tura to the 15th Lok Sabha elections in 2009, and at 29, was the youngest minister in the UPA ministry.
Sangma called himself a devout Christian.
Political career
In 1973, Sangma became Vice-President of the Pradesh Youth Congress in Meghalaya and became the General Secretary of the party in 1975. He served in that position from 1975 to 1980.
In 1977, he was elected to the 6th Lok Sabha from Tura constituency in Meghalaya and represented the same constituency multiple times, from 1977-1988, 1991-2008, 2014–2016. The breaks in 1988 and 2008 were caused by his return to Meghalaya state politics. He became Speaker of the Lok Sabha in 1996.
Chief Minister of Meghalaya
He was the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990.
Speaker of the Lok Sabha
He was the 11th speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Formation of Nationalist Congress Party
Sangma was expelled from the Congress on 20 May 1999, along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar, for raising the banner of revolt against Sonia Gandhi over the fact that she was a foreign-born citizen. Sangma, along with Pawar and Anwar, wanted a native-born citizen to be put forward as the Prime Ministerial candidate. After his departure from the Congress Party, he was one of the founders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar in 1999. In January 2004, P.A. Sangma created a split in the NCP after Sharad Pawar became close to the NCP's former rival, Sonia Gandhi. After losing a battle for the NCP election symbol, Sangma later merged his faction with the Trinamool Congress, forming the Nationalist Trinamool Congress. Sangma was one of two NTC MPs elected. He resigned from his Lok Sabha seat on 10 October 2005 as a member of the AITC, and was re-elected as an NCP candidate in February 2006. He resigned from the 14th Lok Sabha for the second time in March 2008 to take part in the 2008 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election.
On 5 January 2013, Sangma launched the National People's Party at the national level. The National People's Party managed to win two seats in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in the 2013 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election. In 2014, Sangma was elected to Lok Sabha from Tura, and died mid-term in 2016.
Presidential election
Sangma's candidature for the 2012 presidential election was proposed by AIADMK and Biju Janta Dal, and later, supported by the BJP as well. Sangma resigned from the NCP on 20 June 2012 after opposition from Sharad Pawar over his presidential candidature. Former Union Minister and Congress tribal leader Arvind Netam also came out strongly in favour of the candidature of Sangma for the presidential post.
On 22 July, Pranab Mukherjee was declared the victor over Sangma, crossing the half-way mark of 525,140 votes after votes in half the states had been tallied. While securing the required quota, Mukherjee secured 558,194 votes to Sangma's 239,966. After the final results were published, Mukherjee secured 713,424 votes, while Sangma secured 317,032 votes. The Returning Officer for the election, and the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, Vivek Agnihotri, then declared Mukherjee to be elected as President of India. Sangma subsequently accused the President-elect of graft.
Death
On the morning of 4 March 2016, Sangma died from cardiac arrest in New Delhi. He was aged 68.
Positions held
1974 - Vice President of Meghalaya Pradesh Youth Congress
1975 - The General Secretary of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee
1977 - Member of Parliament, Tura constituency (1977 to 1988, first stint)
1980 - Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee
1980 - Deputy Minister in charge of Industry
1982 - Deputy Minister, Ministry of Commerce
1984 - Minister of State holding charge of Commerce and Supply
1984 - Minister of State for Home Affairs
1986 - Minister of State for Labour with Independent Charge
1988 - Member, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly
1988 - Chief Minister of Meghalaya
1990 - Leader of Opposition, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly
1991 - Re-elected, Member of Parliament, Tura constituency (1991-2008, second stint)
1991-93 - Union Minister of State, Coal (Independent Charge)
1993-95 - Union Minister of State, Labour (Independent Charge)
February–September 1995 - Union Minister of State, Labour