Mukul Manda Sangma is an Indian politician who was

Chief Minister of Meghalaya The Chief Minister of Meghalaya is the chief executive of the Indian state of Meghalaya. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following ...

from 2010 to 2018 and is currently leader of the opposition in the

Meghalaya Legislative Assembly The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Meghalaya. Constituted as a directly elected body in 1972, it has 60 members, filled through direct elections held every five years. Like other Indian stat ...

. He has been a member of the All India Trinamool Congress since November 2021; previously, he was a longtime member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

Early life and career

Sangma was born on 20 April 1965, son of teachers Binoy Bhushan M. Marak and Roshanara Begum at Ampatigiri, now the headquarters of

South West Garo Hills Southwest Garo Hills is an administrative district in the State of Meghalaya, India. The Ampati Civil Sub-Division is upgraded to a full fledged district as South West Garo Hills, on 7 August 2012 with its headquarters at Ampati. It was inaugura ...

district. In 1990, he graduated in medicine from the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the f ...

in 1990, and joined Zikzak Public Health Centre as a health and medical officer in 1991.

Political career

In 1993, Sangma was elected to the

from Ampatigiri as an independent candidate, following which he was appointed the Chairman of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation. Sangma was re-elected to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 , 2018 as a representative of the Indian National Congress. He held office as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Government of Meghalaya between the years 1996 and 1998. In 2003, he became the home and education minister in the D. D. Lapang government of Meghalaya. He was also appointed the Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya in 2005. In May 2009, he became the Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya, acting as a representative of the Indian National Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) government. In April 2010, Sangma took oath as the 11th Chief Minister of Meghalaya, following the resignation of DD Lapang. He was sworn in for a second straight term in March 2013. Sangma was named as one of the candidates for the 2018 Assembly elections in Meghalaya, contesting seats from the Songsak and Ampati constituencies in which he won from both. Currently, he serves as the

Leader of Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. His successor as Chief Minister in 2018 was

Conrad Sangma Conrad Kongkal Sangma (born 27 January 1978) is an Indian politician who is the 12th and current Chief Minister of Meghalaya. He assumed presidency of the National People's Party in 2016 after the death of his father who was former Chief Min ...

, who is not related to him. Mukul Sangma and 11 other Congress MLAs joined the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in November 2021, making the TMC the main opposition party in the state.

Key Schemes & Initiatives

In 2015, Sangma launched the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme, a scheme to provide health coverage to families that exist below the poverty line. He launched Phase 2 in 2015, which aimed at providing a comprehensive health cover to the citizens of the state. Sangma has launched multiple social assistance programmes, including the Special Wedding Assistance Scheme for orphaned girls over the age of 18 and a programme for providing aid to single mothers and orphaned girls. In 2017, Sangma launched the Life Programme (Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation of Entrepreneurship), aimed towards empowering people for economic prosperity. He also laid the foundations for the Shillong Government College of Engineering, the first engineering college in the state of Meghalaya, followed by two more colleges at Malwai and Tura. He launched "Mission Football", an initiative to promote sports in Meghalaya and develop the sports at a grassroots level. In 2018, he launched a Career Guidance Program to offer specialized coaching support for underprivileged students.

Positions held

* Elected to Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018 * Parliamentary Secretary of the Government of Meghalaya between 1996 and 1998. * Home and Education Minister of Meghalaya in 2003. * Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya in 2005 and 2009. * Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 2010 to 2018

Personal life

Sangma is married to Dikkanchi D. Shira, who is an M.L.A., and has 4 children. His eldest daughter, Miani D. Shira, and his brother, Zenith Sangma, are also politicians.

Notes

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References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sangma, Mukul Indian National Congress politicians from Meghalaya People from South West Garo Hills district 1965 births Living people 20th-century Indian medical doctors Chief Ministers of Meghalaya Meghalaya MLAs 1993–1998 Chief ministers from Indian National Congress State cabinet ministers of Meghalaya Deputy chief ministers of Meghalaya Scientists from Meghalaya People from Imphal Meghalaya MLAs 1998–2003 Meghalaya MLAs 2003–2008 Meghalaya MLAs 2008–2013 Meghalaya MLAs 2018–2023 Garo people Trinamool Congress politicians