Conrad Kongkal Sangma (born 27 January 1978) is an Indian politician who is the 12th and current Chief Minister of Meghalaya since 2018.[1] He is a member of the National People's Party. His father, P. A. Sangma, was former Chief Minister and former Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Conrad Sangma was also a Member of Parliament from Tura (2016–2018).[2] He has been representing the South Tura constituency since 2018 and had represented Selsella constituency from 2008 to 2013. Sangma was also Minister of Finance, Power and Tourism, Government of Meghalaya from 2008 to 2009. He has served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.[3] He has also served as the National President of the Nationalist Youth Congress.
Career
Upon completing his studies, Sangma started his political career in the late 1990s, as the campaign manager for his father, P. A. Sangma for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).[4] He contested his first election in 2004, where he campaignd for a seat in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council and lost by 182 votes.[5] He was first elected to the State Assembly along with his brother James, both as NCP members in the 2008 state elections and later held several important portfolios in the state cabinet,[6] including those of Finance, Power, Tourism, GAD and IT, and presented his first annual budget for Meghalaya within 10 days of debuting as a minister. From 2009 to 2013 Sangma held the post of Leader of Opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. Sangma lost his seat in the 2013 Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election.[7]
In March 2016 he was elected National President of the National People's Party (NPP) following his father's death earlier that year.[8] In May that year, contesting from Tura in the by-election to the Lok Sabha, he won by a record margin of 1.92 lakh votes.[9]
Sangma married Mehtab Chandee, a doctor by profession, on 29 May 2009,[20] and they have two daughters: Amara (born c. 2011) and Katelyn (born 2017).[21][22] Apart from politics, Sangma has been associated with social work as President of the PA Sangma Foundation, which functions for the betterment of sectors of education and environment, and also runs four colleges in rural Meghalaya. He also currently serves as President of the Meghalaya Cricket Association and Sports Academy.[23]
Conrad Sangma plays the electric guitar and is a fan of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. In May 2020, he received significant notice for posting a video of himself on Instagram playing the Iron Maiden song "Wasted Years".[24][25]