TURA, March 3: It was a spectacular win for the NPP in Garo Hills that left the opposition Trinamool Congress shell-shocked when results were announced on March 2nd as the Conrad K Sangma led party gave a resounding victory and totally destroyed its opponents- the TMC and the BJP.
The BJP drew a blank across Garo Hills while the TMC barely survived with just 4 seats in Garo Hills.
Even the biggest Trinamool leader Mukul Sangma was defeated by a little known Jimmy D Sangma in Tikrikilla. Mukul Sangma barely survived retaining songsak with a thin margin of victory.
Mukul Sangma’s younger brother and senior Trinamool leader Zenith Sangma, who has been holding on to Rangsakona seat for close to 15 consecutive years was defeated hands down by green horn Subir Marak of the NPP.
The BJP which had fielded as many as three sitting MLAs failed to secure even one seat despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah vigorously campaigning for their candidates.
The party had high hopes in the Dalu border constituency where it had earlier opened its mark but that was also lost when voting concluded as the NPP walked away with that seat as well.
The only big win for the Trinamool Congress was the defeat of senior NPP minister James Pangsang K Sangma, elder brother of the chief minister, who sustained a shock defeat at the hands of TMC’s Rupa Marak in Dadenggre.
The victory was one of the closest in terms of results with Rupa securing his win by less than 20 votes. A recount was later sought by James Sangma which was allowed but failed to see any tangible change in the results.
Another NPP candidate and sitting MLA to lose with such close numbers was Rajabala’s Abdus Saleh who was defeated by Trinamool (AITC) Congress candidate Mizanur Rahman Kazi by just 10 votes.
But the NPP could not be stopped in the rest of Garo Hills as it swallowed up one constituency after another beginning with North Garo Hills where it completely swept the four seats of Kharkutta, Mendipathar, Resubelpara and Bajengdoba.
In East Garo Hills it came close to defeating Mukul Sangma in Songsak, losing by a slender margin, while the remaining two seats of Rongjeng and Williamnagar fell into their basket.
Similar scenes of victory was recorded from South Garo Hills where the NPP retained Rongara-Siju seat and bagged an extra in Chokpot defeating the sitting trinamool congress candidate Lazarus Sangma.
The Baghmara seat, held for fifteen long years by heavyweight and BJP candidate Samuel Sangma went surprisingly to Independent Kartush Marak. It was a shock defeat for Samuel Sangma.
So also was the scene at South-West Garo Hills district that had for years been a Mukul Sangma family stronghold.
Here too, the NPP broke through the ranks registering wins in two out of three seats and going as far as to defeat Mukul Sangma’s wife and two time sitting MLA of Mahendraganj Dikkanchi D Shira.
The only saving grave for the Sangma family was the retaining of Ampati seat by daughter Miani D Shira.
The Congress party was literally wiped out in the entire Garo Hills region managing to win only Gambegre constituency with sitting legislator Saleng A Sangma defeating Sadhiarani Sangma of the Trinamool.
Senior most Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Deborah C Marak lost her electoral battle for the second time to Marcuise Marak of the NPP in Williamnagar.
