SHILLONG: At 40, Conrad Kongkal Sangma is the youngest chief minister of Meghalaya. Epitomising youth power, the son of the legendary leader PA Sangma, Conrad worked his way up from being the leader of the opposition to the chief minister of Meghalaya.The newly-sworn in CM had led a relentless campaign in the run-up to the assembly election, thereby helping his National People's Party (NPP) secure 19 seats, up by 17 since the previous election. In an otherwise Congress bastion, he emerged as the main contender to the prestigious chair. He used his political skills and personal charisma to elbow out other regional parties and keep the grand old party Congress at bay to emerge as the consensus candidate.After his studies at the St Columba's School, New Delhi, Conrad acquired a bachelor's degree in business administration in entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also completed his MBA in finance from the Imperial College London. Conrad is fond of sports and music.The young Conrad made his foray into politics in 2016 after his father's death. A close companion of the senior Sangma-the most popular Lok Sabha speaker ever-Conrad took over the reins of the NPP after the veteran leader's passing. He won the by-election to the prestigious Tura LS seat, vacated after his father's demise, by a huge margin of 1.92 lakh votes in May the same year.From 2009 to 2013, Conrad earned a huge reputation for himself for being a knowledgeable and polite leader of the opposition. As finance minister when he presented the state budget in the assembly, he got a thumbs up for his 'practical approach'. Married to Mehtab Chandee, a physician by profession, Conrad-after taking over as chief minister on Tuesday-said one of his focus areas would be the health sector.His elder brother James, who was also sworn-in as a cabinet minister, had very encouraging words for his younger sibling. Conrad's mother Soradini K Sangma and sister Agatha, the newly elected legislator from South Tura, sat together at the swearing-in ceremony in the forecourts of the Raj Bhavan in the morning. "I am hopeful he will fulfil his father's dreams and serve the people," Soradini said, adding that it was indeed a momentous occasion and historic day for the family.

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