Conrad Sangma’s Party MLA Thomas Sangma Elected as Meghalaya Speaker Unopposed

GG News Bureau

Shillong, 9th March. Thomas A Sangma of the ruling National People’s Party-led MDA coalition was elected speaker of the 11th Meghalaya Assembly on Thursday.

The Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) 2.0 government, which was sworn in earlier this week, has 45 MLAs, including 26 from the National People’s Party (NPP), 11 from the United Democratic Party (UDP), and two each from the BJP, the Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP), and the People’s Democratic Front (PDF), as well as two Independent legislators.

Thomas Sangma, a former Rajya Sabha member and NPP leader, was elected unopposed as the Congress, Trinamool Congress, and Voice of the People’s Party did not field a candidate.

Protem Speaker Timothy D Shira, who presided over the final day of the special Assembly session, stated, “Since only one nomination paper was received by the office of the Assembly, I hereby declare Thomas A Sangma as speaker.”

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma congratulated the newly elected speaker and expressed confidence that the former parliamentarian would do justice to the position.

“It is a matter of great happiness to see you occupy the speaker’s chair,” he told Thomas A Sangma.

In his speech, Thomas Sangma expressed gratitude for being elected speaker.

“I humbly submit to the wisdom of our member who found me fit to occupy this chair.” The Chief Minister later moved a confidence motion, to which the House responded with thumping ‘ayes’.

He later expressed his condolences on the deaths of former MLAs HDR Lyngdoh and AH Scott Lyngdoh.