SHILLONG, May 14 – The poll verdict from Meghalaya's two Lok Sabha seats which returned both the incumbent MPs back to Parliament was on expected lines, reports PTI. Nationalist Trinamool Congress leader Purno Agitok Sangma retained his Tura seat for eighth time in a row and Congress veteran P R Kyndiah made a hat-trick from Shillong seat. Sangma, who reduced his winning margin to 72,763 this time from over 1.13 lakh in 1999 hustings, had proved he was still a 'force' to reckon with in North-east nothwithstanding the reverses he suffered in the run-up to the polls by losing the NCP symbol to the rival Sharad Pawar faction.
Facing the voter under a differnt banner, the former Lok Sabha Speaker had also to take on a young Congress leader and State's Information and Technology Minister Mukul Sangma. But the Tura seat, spread over three districts of Garo hills region of Meghalaya, remained largely unaffected by a 'Congress wave' that swept the other parts of the country. But it ate into Sangma's margin. The victory of Purno Sangma, who has been representing the same seat since mid 1970s except for a brief period, was also somewhat aided by his initiative of facilitating talks with militant group Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) in the Garo hills region.
In run-up to polls, outlawed outfit announced to rally behind Sangma and asked the people to vote for him - which eventually drew flak from Congress-led State Government. After losing his NCP symbol to the Pawar faction, which raised some doubts on his electoral prospects, Sangma made some swift moves to make up the losses.
After joining hands with Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, Sangma, a shrewd political manager, made some of his loyalists MLAs, who were 'technically' still with the NCP, to campaign for him in the Lok Sabha elections. By virtue of being in the NDA, he also enjoyed the tacit support of BJP in the sense that the latter did not put up a separate candidate in the Garo hills.
In the triangular fight for the Shillong seat, BJP sprang a surprise by finishing third, coming next to independent candidate S Loniak Marbaninag, who was supported by four regional parties alliance (RPA). The saffron party, having made some valuable inroads in the Congress votebank, apparently failed to capitalise on the 'reputation' of eminent parliamentarian G G Swell, whose son Sanbor Swell Lyngdoh was a candidate.
For Kyndiah, who faced public criticism for allegedly 'misuing' his MP Local Area Development funds in the previous tenure, however, enjoyed the 'support' of his MLAs and the party which leads a coalition government in the State. The reason for Kyndiah's win, as he himself claimed, was his availablity in every nook and corner of the State. This time he almost doubled his 1999 margin raising it to 70,896 from 37,823. Congress veteran had won 27 out of 36 Assembly segments under the Shillong seat with maximum from Rymbai constituency in Jaintia Hills district.