PR Kyndiah
For Kyndiah who made a hat-trick from Shillong Lok Sabha constituency this time, the journey had begun in 1962 when he first became municipal ward commissioner--much before the creation of Meghalaya as a state.
For Kyndiah who made a hat-trick from Shillong Lok Sabha constituency this time, the journey had begun in 1962 when he first became municipal ward commissioner--much before the creation of Meghalaya as a state.
He was re-elected and became Chairman of the civic body in 1967, an office he held till 1972. After that he never looked back.
One of the protagonists of hill state movement, which spearheaded a peaceful agitation for a seperate state for Meghalaya to be carved out from Assam, Kyndiah entered the provisional Meghalaya assembly in 1970. From 1972 to 1993, he was a member of House.
He served as a state cabinet minister on several occasions between 1975-1988 and was also the leader of the opposition from 1979 to 1981.
Associated with Indian National Congress early in life he took active role in the freedom struggle of the country and was one of the few leaders who did not change the colour of his political coat.
He was acting Chief Minister in 1987 and Chairman of the high-powered Meghalaya Commission on Resource Mobilisation in 1988-89 before getting elected to the Speaker's chair. He had also served as Mizoram Governor from 1993 to 1998.
A die-hard politician, Kyndiah did not confine himself to the constitutional post and quit it to plunge into active politics.