Mukul Sangma sworn in as Meghalaya CM

Shillong: Mukul M Sangma took oath as the 21st chief minister of Meghalaya on Tuesday, which also happens to be his 45th birthday.

Sangma was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor RS Mooshahary at Raj Bhavan. Three other ministers - one Independent and two from the United Democratic Party - were also sworn-in.

The three are: A.T. Mondal, Independent, and J.A. Lyngdoh and Bindom M. Lapang of the UDP. Lapang was sworn in as deputy chief minister.

The three had been part of the D D Lapang ministry.

After his swearing-in, Sagma said he will leave for New Delhi Wednesday to get the list of council of ministers approved by the Congress high command. Eight more ministers have to be inducted.

Veteran Congress leader D.D. Lapang was asked to step down as chief minister after 21 of the 28 Congress legislators proposed Sangma's name as the new Congress legislature party leader.

On Monday evening, Lapang drove straight to Raj Bhavan after his arrival from New Delhi, and tendered his resignation to the governor.

At least 16 Congress rebels had demanded Lapang's removal, saying that Meghalaya had not made any progress under his leadership.

The rebellion in the CLP started in March after 14 Congress legislators asked Lapang to sack two Independents - Ismail R. Marak and Limison Sangma - as well as Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) leader Paul Lyngdoh from the cabinet.

They wanted Congressmen to be included in the cabinet in their place. When Lapang failed to do so, the rebels pressed for his removal.

At least 21 Congress legislators met April 16 at the residence of Sangma, and pledged unconditional support to him. Thereafter, Sangma flew to New Delhi along with Congress legislators supporting him, and staked his claim to be new CLP leader.

Lapang met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi Sunday evening and put in his papers as CLP leader. Gandhi accepted his resigntion.

Sangma, a medical practitioner, gave up his government posting as medical and health officer at Tura health centre and jumped into the electoral fray in 1993. He contested and won the 58-Ampatigiri assembly constituency in West Garo Hills as an Independent candidate. There was no looking back for him since then.

At the age of 33, Sangma first bagged a cabinet berth and held various posts as minister of taxation, information and public relations and others.

In 2005, Sangma was appointed deputy chief minister in-charge of home and education departments. But he was forced to quit after the Garo Hills police firing, in which nine people lost their lives and several others were injured over the Meghalaya Board of School Education issue.