In a kind gesture, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday extended birthday wishes to the former Chief Minister and leader of the opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Dr. Mukul Sangma. He extended his wishes through a facebook post where he put a picture of them smiling at each other while taking a walk.
In his facebook post, CM Sangma wrote,“ Wishing the Hon’ble Leader of Opposition, Dr. Mukul Sangma a happy birthday. May he be blessed with a long, healthy and prosperous life.”
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 district.
In 1993, Mukul Sangma was elected to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. from Ampatigiri as an independent candidate, following which he was appointed as 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 as 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 for seats from the Songsak and Ampathi constituencies in which he won from both. Currently, he serves as the Leader of Opposition in Meghalaya Assembly. His successor as Chief Minister in 2018 was Conrad Sangma , 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.