GUWAHATI: Eugeneson Lyngdoh scored a goal his father, the late SK Sunn, would have been proud of.
The former national footballer won a by-election from the Mawphlang seat in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills that his father represented for over three and half years following his election in 2018 as an independent candidate.
Sunn had later defected to the regional United Democratic Party (UDP) which is a constituent of the state’s ruling coalition. His death necessitated the bypoll.
Lyngdoh (35), who contested on the UDP’s ticket, defeated his nearest rival Kennedy Cornelius Khyriem of the Congress by a margin of 4,401 votes.
He told journalists following his victory that he would try to finish the unfinished works of his father.
“I am sure the people of Mawphlang noticed what my dad had done in the constituency while he served as an MLA. They know there is a lot of works that need to be done. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to do his unfinished works,” Lyngdoh said.
He said Meghalaya had grown over the past few years and he was sure it would grow further in the future as well.
Even on a momentous day like Tuesday, football was inseparable from him. “It is a sport we all love and the kids dream about playing to make a career out of it.”
Lyngdoh, who has 24 caps for the senior national team to his kitty, was a member of the Bengaluru FC that won the I-League title in 2015-16. The same year, he was named the All India Football Federation Player of the Year.
The Shillong boy was pursuing a degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering but dropped out to focus on football. He made his debut for India on March 12, 2015 against Nepal in the first leg of a two-legged 2018 FIFA World Cup pre-qualifier. India had won the match by 2-0 where he assisted the second goal.