The Meghalaya electorate reiterated their faith in the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) and Opposition Congress in the polls to the 17th Lok Sabha.

Maintaining status quo, the voters elected former Union minister Agatha K. Sangma from Tura parliamentary constituency while Congress’s two-time MP Vincent H. Pala was re-elected from Shillong seat.

The 2019 results are a repeat of the last Lok Sabha polls held in 2014. Five years ago, Pala had retained Shillong while late Purno Agitok Sangma of the NPP had won Tura.

Although the results have not been officially declared, Agatha and Pala have polled majority of the votes from Tura and Shillong, respectively.

As per the latest figures, Agatha polled 303,895 votes while her nearest rival and Congress candidate and former chief minister Mukul Sangma secured 240,123 votes. BJP’s Rikman G. Momin polled 31,384 votes while there were 6,441 votes in favour of None of the Above (NOTA).

Agatha was way ahead of Mukul by a margin of 63,772 votes while her late father had won the seat in 2014 by a margin of 39,716 votes.

In Shillong, Pala polled 419,232 votes against his nearest rival Jemino Mawthoh of the United Democratic Party (UDP) who polled 267,093 votes.

BJP candidate Sanbor Shullai polled 75,790 votes while Independent candidates T.H.S. Bonney, Romeo Phira Rani and Samuel Hashah polled 4,946, 6,569 and 4,583 votes respectively. The NOTA button received 4,398 votes.

Pala defeated Mawthoh, who had the support of the majority of the coalition partners in the ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), by a margin of 152,139 votes.

Pala bettered his own record. In 2014, his victory margin was only 40,379 votes.

Agatha had represented Tura in the Lok Sabha in 2008 and 2009 while Pala won his first parliamentary election in 2009. Both the leaders became Union ministers in the UPA II government.

For Mukul, it was third time unlucky. Prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he had contested the parliamentary elections on two occasions against Purno Agitok Sangma, but could not emerge victorious.

NPP wins bypoll

Adding a feather to its cap, the NPP managed to snatch the Selsella Assembly seat from the Opposition Congress.

NPP’s Ferlin C.A. Sangma defeated Congress’s June Eliana R. Marak by a margin of 4,396 votes.

The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of Congress leader Clement Marak last year.

With this win, the NPP has emerged as the single largest party in the 60-member Assembly with 21 members while the Opposition Congress has 19 legislators.