SHILLONG:
Former Home Minister and UDP candidate from Sohiong HDR Lyngdoh passed away on February 20 evening.
He was gearing up for the upcoming elections. Sources said he collapsed during a meeting.
HDR Lyngdoh, commonly known as Maheh, was the Home Minister in the Dr Mukul Sangma-led Congress government. He first won as an MLA from Sohiong in 1988 on a Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) ticket and continued till 1998.
In the 1998 assembly polls, he lost the seat to RA Lyngdoh of the United Democratic Party (UDP) but in 1999, he won as an MDC on the Congress ticket from the Sohiong-Nongspung constituency.
Again, in the 2003 assembly polls, he recaptured the Sohiong seat from UDP’s RA Lyngdoh and won on a Congress ticket. He continued as the MLA of Sohiong till 2018.
In the 2018 general elections, he lost the seat to HSPDP’s Samlin Malngiang by 622 votes. Lyngdoh won 11,338 votes against Malngiang’s 11,960 votes.
After five years of waiting, HDR Lyngdoh was hoping to return to power.
Apart from Lyndoh and Malngiang, the others contesting from Sohiong are S Osborne Kharjana of Congress, Sandondor Ryntathiang of HSPDP, Sereph E Kharbuki of BJP and Stodingstar Thabah of AITC.
Meanwhile, election to the Sohiong seat has been adjourned, informed Chief Electoral Officer, Frederick Roy Kharkongor.
Even in 2018, polling for the Williamnagar seat had to be adjourned after Nationalist Congress Party candidate Jonathone N Sangma was killed in an IED blast on February 18.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, took to twitter to condole Lyngdoh’s demise.
“Saddened by the sudden demise of former Minister & senior politician of the State, Shri H D R Lyngdoh. Shri Lyngdoh served the state in different capacities over the years & was a dedicated leader to the people. His demise is a great loss to Meghalaya. May his soul rest in peace,” Sangma tweeted.
President of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Metbah Lyngdoh, has expressed his condolences on the demise of Lyngdoh.
He said that it was a great loss for his party even as he added that in the short time he was with the party he was an inspiration to the members.
“He was a gentleman who was experienced in politics and he has contributed a lot as a legislator of Sohiong constituency,” Lyngdoh said.
The UDP president also sent his condolences to the bereaved family and to the people of the constituency.