KAS President To Contest Shillong Lok Sabha Bypoll Accepting NPP Ticket.

Shillong; May 2026: DR Lyngdoh Nonglait, an academician and President of the Khasi Authors’ Society (KAS), has accepted a proposal by the National People’s Party (NPP) to be its candidate in the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha by-election. In a letter, Nonglait said: “After careful consideration, I am pleased to formally accept the proposal”.

He assured that he would abide by the principles, vision and collective decisions of the party while working diligently for the welfare and development of the people, the state and the country.

Nonglait is a professor in the Department of Khasi at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU). He has authored numerous books and research articles. Interestingly, one is a call for prohibition in Meghalaya, a stance that sits in direct opposition to the NPP-led state government, which seeks to maximise income through alcohol sales.

The NPP has yet to formally announce Nonglait’s candidature, though party figure Wailadmiki Shylla MLA had yesterday revealed that a decision would be made in a couple of days.

Nonglait’s candidature can be seen in light of the choice of the Voice of the People Party (VPP), which has had some success in fielding academics. The incumbent Shillong MP, Ricky AJ Syngkon, had also been a NEHU professor before he was elected to Parliament in 2024. His sudden demise in February this year necessitated the by-election. The VPP has chosen another academic, Batskhem Myrboh, as its new candidate.

Compared to Syngkon, the NPP failed to find success in Ampareen Lyngdoh, an established politician, who finished third in the 2024 election. Nonglait has some public name recognition for leading KAS, which has been pursuing the recognition of Khasi in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and the NPP may be hoping this will set him apart from the others in the race.

The Indian National Congress has not finalised its candidate for the upcoming Shillong Lok Sabha by-election, with Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee secretary Manuel Badwar on Wednesday ruling himself out of the race. “I think I have made it very clear as far as the Congress is concerned, we have not decided, we are yet to sit for a meeting. However, the recommendation has gone to Delhi, AICC will make the final decisions”, Badwar said when asked about the party’s decision.

He said the party does not have many aspirants for the seat. “So, we don’t have many takers for the same, we have few leaders and a round has been going on that Manuel Badwar will also be one of the aspiring candidates. I want to make it categorically very clear that I don’t have any intention to contest in the MP election”, he said.

Explaining his decision, Badwar cited his limited experience and the short tenure of the bypoll. “First, the simple fact that I am very new, simple fact that it is only a two-year term, it is going to be increasingly difficult for anybody who is new to enter the arena of Parliament and we are not going to be as productive as somebody who is already there, who is somebody who has already been in the line of work”. He added, “For me personally, I keep telling people that it is important to send somebody who already understands the entire nuances of Parliament and its functioning rather than sending somebody who is new because two years is not enough time”.

Team Maverick.