NPP to Soon Pick Candidates for Rajya Sabha, Shillong Bypoll: Conrad Sangma

SHILLONG: The National People's Party (NPP) is moving closer to naming its candidates for two upcoming electoral contests in Meghalaya — the Rajya Sabha election and the Shillong Parliamentary constituency bypoll.

NPP national president and Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma confirmed on Friday that the party would hold an internal meeting shortly to take a final call on both seats.

The Shillong Lok Sabha bypoll was triggered by the death of sitting MP Ricky A. J. Syngkon on February 19, 2026 — less than two years after he won the 2024 Lok Sabha election under the Voice of the People's Party banner, defeating Congress leader Vincent H. Pala by a wide margin.

Separately, the Rajya Sabha seat held by Dr Wanweiroy Kharlukhi, the NPP's current representative from Meghalaya, is set to expire on June 21, 2026. Dr Kharlukhi has already announced he will retire from active politics at the end of his term.

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Speaking to journalists in Shillong, Sangma said discussions within the party are already well advanced.

"We will hold a meeting shortly to take a final call," he said, adding that a decision on both candidates was likely within a week or two.

Asked about the Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to field a candidate in the Shillong Lok Sabha bypoll — a seat the NPP also intends to contest — Sangma took a measured position.

He noted that elections are a democratic process and every party has the right to participate, regardless of coalition arrangements.

Sangma added that while alliance partners often consult each other, there is no obligation to align on every electoral decision.

"Each political party has its own identity and constitutional right to make independent decisions," he said, making clear the NPP would not seek to influence the BJP's choice.