Tura, June 4: In the biggest setback to the NPP, Congress candidate Saleng A Sangma has snatched the Tura parliamentary seat from Agatha K Sangma, ending more than four decades of the seat being in the hands of the P A Sangma family.
Saleng has won by a margin of over 1.3 lakh votes defeating Agatha in 22 assembly segments of Tura Lok Sabha seat.
It has been a tumultuous day for the NPP and more so for chief minister Conrad K Sangma whose only assembly constituency of South Tura voted in favour of the Congress.
The NPP stronghold of North and South Garo Hills districts were literally destroyed by the Congress as seat after seat went in favour of Saleng.
North Garo Hills district voters had been peeved with the Conrad Sangma government after none of the four elected MLAs made it to ministership in the new state government last year.
The happenings in Manipur and Assam had also worried voters in Garo Hills, particularly after the NPP and the BJP collaborated with the latter withdrawing in support of the NPP candidate.
A vote for NPP is a vote for Modi had riled many voters in Garo Hills and they vented their anger through the power of the ballot.
Despite Congress having a lone MLA in Saleng Sangma the NPP with its 18 MLAs and one Independent failed to halt the tide that came in favour of the Congress.
