Shillong, March 1: The election results in Meghalaya are full of surprises, with some politicians facing the biggest upsets ever since the formation of the state in 1972.
Stalwarts who lost include former chief ministers E.K. Mawlong of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and PCC chief Salseng C. Marak.
The defeat of home minister Lotsing A. Sangma from Baghmara, six-time winner D.N. Joshi (Mawprem) of the Congress and former finance minister A.H. Scott Lyngdoh (Jaiaw) were equally unexpected.
Except for Salseng Marak and home minister Sangma, who lost the battle to their main political rivals, the other three lost to new entrants in the fray. These five politicians are among the 29 sitting MLAs who have lost the elections.
The PCC chief lost to Timothy D. Shira of the NCP by 994 votes. He admitted that the “verdict has surprised me” but charged the NCP with using “money and muscle power” to win the poll. Marak polled a total of 6,963 votes.
He, however, said that the “battle is not over” and he would contest the parliamentary elections next year to avenge his defeat. NCP general secretary P.A. Sangma said he was “satisfied” with the outcome. “This is just the beginning for the NCP,” he said.
He ruled out an alliance with the Congress, but said that the national parties coming back to power in the region “signalled that marginalisation of the regional parties”. The news of Lotsing Sangma’s defeat to Sengran Sangma of the Congress in the Baghmara was received with disbelief in Garo Hills. He polled 6,055 votes while Sengran Sangma garnered 7,703 votes.
Mawlong, who has not been able to come out of the shadow of the Meghalaya House scam did not anticipate a loss from Umroi, a seat he has won in the past four elections.
UDP general-secretary S.D. Khongwir said the party was “taken aback by the verdict”. Mawlong’s former UDP colleague A.H. Scott Lyngdoh was perhaps aware of what was in store for him. Contesting on a Meghalaya Democratic Party ticket, Scott Lyngdoh lost the seat to former student leader and president of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement, Paul Lyngdoh, who garnered a total of 5,873 votes.
Scott Lyngdoh polled 1,347 votes and was pushed to the third place. Paul Lyngdoh said his victory was a sign of “a sleeping constituency waking up to the realities”. He attributed his success to the organisational structure of the Khasi Students Union, of which he had been president.
Congress heavyweight from Mawprem, D.N. Joshi, who was expected to create a record of sorts by winning for the seventh consecutive time, lost to the NCP’s Ardhendu Chaudhuri. A former director of the printing and stationary department, Chaudhuri won by a margin of 1,157 votes.
Ministers in the present government who lost include industries minister Simon Siangshai (MDP), soil conservation minister Sanbor Swell Lyngdoh (MDP), co-operation minister Adolf Lu Hitler R. Marak (NCP) and PWD minister H.B. Dan.