CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The National People's Party (NPP), which has 36 MLAs in Meghalaya's 60-member Assembly, faces two electoral tests before the 2028 Assembly elections, with the Shillong Lok Sabha by-election expected by the end of 2026 and the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council elections expected early next year.
The contests will provide an opportunity for the Conrad K. Sangma-led party to assess its electoral support beyond its legislative strength. Of the NPP's 36 MLAs, 17 represent the Khasi-Jaintia Hills and 19 the Garo Hills.
The Shillong by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting MP Ricky A.J. Syngkon on February 19, 2026. Syngkon, who represented the Voice of the People Party (VPP), defeated Congress candidate Vincent H. Pala by a substantial margin in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The by-election will offer the NPP an opportunity to assess its support in the parliamentary constituency ahead of the next Assembly polls.
The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council elections will provide another measure of the party's standing in the region, where it has a substantial legislative presence.
The NPP won 26 seats in the 2023 Assembly elections and added the Gambegre seat in a 2024 by-election, taking its directly elected strength to 27. Nine more MLAs subsequently joined the party through mergers, raising its Assembly strength to 36.
NPP national president and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma has set a target of winning the upcoming contests and securing an independent majority in 2028. Identifying the Shillong by-election as the immediate priority, he said the party would make every effort to win.
"The first task in front of us is to win the Lok Sabha by election. I can tell you the party is truly blessed. We should ensure that the first battle that we have, the Lok Sabha battle, we must win. We will not leave any stone unturned. Elections are not easy; therefore, we have to work even when you get tired," Sangma said.
He identified the Garo Hills council elections as the next challenge and the 2028 Assembly elections as the party's major political test. While defending the government's record, he acknowledged that it had not changed everything but maintained that it had made a difference in the state.
Sangma also stressed the need for sustained effort, strategic campaigning and detailed election management. He expressed confidence that the party could cross the majority mark independently in 2028, provided its workers combined hard work with effective planning.
The upcoming elections will offer the NPP an opportunity to assess its electoral support in Shillong and the Garo Hills as it prepares for the next Assembly polls.
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