Meghalaya bypoll results 2018: CM Conrad Sangma wins South Tura constituency

Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP president Conrad Sangma won the South Tura Assembly constituency on Monday, defeating Congress candidate Charlotte W Momin with a margin of 8,400 votes.

Taking to Twitter, Sangma wrote, “Thank you South Tura for believing in NPP and me.”

Thank you #SouthTura for believing in NPP and me. pic.twitter.com/El0fLdO0W5 — Conrad Sangma (@SangmaConrad) August 27, 2018

The NPP president secured a total of 13,656 votes of the 22,200 plus total votes polled in South Tura. His closest rival of the Congress, Charlotte W Momin, got 8,421 votes, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) F R Kharkongor said.

The bye-elections to South Tura was necessitated after Sangma's sister, MLA Agatha K Sangma, resigned from the seat. Agatha had resigned from South Tura in July to pave way for him to contest the election.

The by-polls to were held on Thursday, August 23. South Tura constituency has a total of 30,231 voters including 14,846 males and 15,351 females, 33 service voters and one NRI, in 36 polling stations.

With Sangma's win the National People's Party has levelled its tally at 20 with the opposition Congress in the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly. Besides the NPP, the MDA also has the support of the BJP (2), NCP (1) along with the regional parties - United Democratic Party (7), the Peoples Democratic Front (4), the Hill State Peoples Democratic Party (2) and 2 Independents.

With agency inputs