After days of drama in Meghalaya, which saw the United Democratic Party (UDP) abandoning its plan of stitching up an alternative coalition and extending support to the National People’s Party (NPP) instead, Conrad Sangma took oath as Chief Minister of Meghalaya for the second consecutive time on March 7, 2023. Sangma’s return also strengthened his position further, with 45 seats in the 60-member Assembly. Alongside the BJP, he now enjoys the backing of two Independent MLAs and two Hill State Peoples’ Democratic Party (HSPDP), the People’s Democratic Front (PDF) and the UDP whose plans of stitching up a “non-NPP, non-BJP” coalition did not work out. Elected for the first time as an MLA in 2008, Conrad began his political career under the long shadow of his illustrious father and former Lok Sabha speaker Purno Sangma. Conrad, who has an MBA in finance, had served as the finance minister till 2009 in a government run by a rainbow coalition of regional parties. Subsequently, from 2009 to 2013, he was the Leader of the Opposition at a time Mukul Sangma became the chief minister of a Congress-led government. In 2015, he ensured the victory of his party in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council Election. The next year saw the death of his father and he went on to take over as the president of the NPP. In 2016, he was also elected to the Lok Sabha in a by-poll from Tura. Two years later, he gave up his Lok Sabha seat to contest the Assembly polls – a gamble that paid off for him as he ended up becoming the CM.