P.A. Sangma with son Conrad. A Telegraph picture

Tura, Feb. 26: Of all the challenges Conrad K. Sangma faces as a poll contestant, proving himself good enough for his surname seems to be the most daunting.

Dynasty politics, making the most his father’s name — there have been allegations aplenty.

But if you expected the Wharton-educated 30-year-old to be bogged down by the politics of pressure, sample this: “If a cobbler’s son can become a cobbler, if an actor’s son can become an actor, if a cricketer’s son can become a cricketer, why can’t P.A. Sangma’s son become a politician?” That’s Conrad.

In fact, he flaunts his father clan name (not his mother Soradini Kongkal’s) with elan; he is proud of his father’s achievements and admits that he is a politician by design and not by accident.

When asked if his “boss”, as he lovingly calls Sangma senior, is trying to promote the family at cost of other partymen — Sangma is fielding both his sons this election — Conrad mounts a reverse offensive.

“It is not that I or my elder brother James had no options. We have a political background, we are educated and well-settled. Give me one reason to deny me my calling. What is my fault, except that I am P.A. Sangma’s son? I have helped my father since I was a teenager during his campaign and have been keen on joining politics while I was still a student.

“We have also made sacrifices. I have struggled to set up my business. I have travelled by bus to work. I have availed of loans to build my business and by god’s grace, my call centre in Shillong, with around 500 employees, is the largest employer in the private sector,” the Nationalist Youth Congress president and president of the Cricket Association of Meghalaya says.

There is more. “I am proud of Brand Sangma from the election perspective. It is quite strong in Garo Hills and I will be lying if I say that it has not helped. But eventually, the quality of the product will decide the future not the brand. Politics is very competitive and I have to really work hard to keep the family business of securing a prosperous future for my people and state,” Conrad says matter-of-factly.

That’s of course, the management graduate speaking.

“It is very hard to win elections in a small constituency. Here one-to-one contact, door-to-door campaign is a must. Towards that end, I have got 160 grassroots polling officials and block officials elected to help me out in my campaign. This is called the down-top module. Most of the time a candidate loses not because he is not good but because he does not get the right feedback,” he says.

Conrad also has radical views on influx and insurgency.

“Give work permits to the Bangladeshis. After all, it is economics that is driving influx as well as insurgency. Inclusive development will help us tide over the twin problems,” he says.

Whether his managerial acumen helps him win the Selsella seat which he is contesting for the second time against sitting MLA Clement Marak is a result worth waiting for. He lost the byelections to Marak by 182 votes in 2005.

But Conrad will not wait. “If I lose this time, I will give up and concentrate more on my business. Honestly, I will lose faith in the system, as I have worked hard since March and this is also my passion. It is no use hanging around if you don’t have the passion in your calling,” he says, before dashing off to finalise the day’s plans with Sangma Senior at their sprawling hill-top Walbakgre residence.