Shillong, May 6: DR Lyngdoh Nonglait, an academic 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.
