3 weeks ago
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A beleaguered Congress is hoping to enactment its electoral debacle successful Assam down it and get backmost to winning ways successful the Northeastern region, erstwhile its blessed hunting ground.
On Thursday (May 14, 2026), the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee approved the sanction of its president, Vincent H. Pala, arsenic the party’s campaigner for the upcoming by-election to the Shillong Lok Sabha seat.
Mr. Pala represented the constituency for 15 years earlier Ricky Andrew J. Syngkon of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) defeated him successful the 2024 polls by a borderline of much than 3.71 lakh votes. The spot fell vacant pursuing Syngkon’s decease connected February 19, aft collapsing portion playing shot connected the outskirts of Shillong.
Expected by August
Chief Electoral Officer B.D.R. Tiwari said that his section was prepared and waiting for the docket to beryllium announced by the Election Commission. The by-election is expected by August.
“The territory and block-level leaders person projected my sanction arsenic the candidate. The connection volition beryllium sent to our party’s cardinal enactment for a last decision,” Mr. Pala said, hoping to wrest the Shillong spot wherever Congress enjoyed a 26-year tally from 1998 to 2024.
An engineer-turned-politician, helium served arsenic a Union Minister from 2009 to 2012.
The VPP has named academician Batskhem Myrboh arsenic its campaigner for the constituency. At the aforesaid time, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP) has nominated student and president of the Khasi Authors’ Society, D.R.L. Nonglait.
Two different parties, the United Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party, person not yet decided whether oregon not to contention the by-election. Both are constituents of the NPP-led ruling conjugation successful Meghalaya.
Once the ascendant governmental entity, Congress is battling for its endurance successful Meghalaya. The enactment won 5 of the 60 Assembly seats successful the State successful 2023, but 4 of them defected to the NPP, portion the fifth—Saleng A. Sangma—became an MP aft winning the Tura Lok Sabha spot the pursuing year.
