New Delhi: Former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma breathed his last on Friday following a heart attack. Sangma, who unsuccessfully contested the presidential election as an opposition candidate against Pranab Mukherjee, was 68 years old.
The former Meghalaya chief minister was elected to the Lok Sabha eight times since his first entry to the Lower House in 1977. He was the Lok Sabha Speaker between 1996 and 1998.
Sangma was expelled from the Congress in 1999 along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar for raising a banner of revolt against Sonia Gandhi over her foreign origin issue. Subsequently, the trio formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
However, he left the NCP in 2004 and formed a regional party, which later merged with Trinamool Congress. He later rejoined the NCP, but only to part ways with it later and unsuccessfully contested the presidential election against Pranab Mukherjee. He was supported by BJP, BJD, AIADMK and others.
The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till March 8 after paying tribute to former speaker P.A Sangma who breathed his last here on Friday following a heart attack.
"We deeply mourn the passing away of PA Sangma ji, I had learnt how to run Lok Sabha with a smile from him," Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said.
