LS Election 2024-Meghalaya: “I am not looking at them (Opponents), I am doing my own thing,” says Shillong NPP candidate Ampareen Lyngdoh

Development and welfare is paramount for Meghalaya cabinet minister and NPP candidate for Shillong Lok Sabha constituency. In fact she is ready to carry forward her father Peter G Marbaniang’s legacy, who was a 2-time MP from the same parliamentary.

Northeast Live spoke exclusively to Ampareen Lyngdoh during her campaign trail in Marmain, a remote village in Ri Bhoi district.

A 5-time MLA, Ampareen Lyngdoh who is ready to raise the issues of her people in the Parliament is solely focused on the agenda of welfare for everyone, but not at all apprehensive about the challenges from her rivals, who are in fray against her from the Shillong parliamentary seat.

In her exclusive conversation with Northeast Live, Ampareen Lyngdoh made a sharp attack on her main rival and incumbent Shillong MP, Vincent Pala of the Congress.

Asked if she was under pressure for facing contest against Vincent Pala, Ampareen Lyngdoh said, “No pressure, I know his formula, because we made him win. All those years let me tell You, the Congress team was very strong, but he messed it all up. He suspended everbody, chased everbody out, now he is left alone.”

Amapareen also responded to a query on whether the Regional Democratic Alliance (RDA) candidate would be a factor for her and how does she the elections ahead.

“I am not looking at them, I am doing my own thing. If I am going to look at them and then I am never going to finish my campaign trail. I do my own thing, it’s ok. These are elections, we may be coalition partners, but coalition politics in the state of Meghalaya is something which is still distant from the minds of the leaders. This time you saw the BJP, we are in alliance with them, they realise that likely they will not be able to win this on their own, so they have come forward and told us so they didn’t put up a candidate. We had fruitful meetings with them just they before yesterday. So for me that is important, ” Ampareen Lyngdoh said in her response.

But no matter what, Ampareen Lyngdoh is ready to carry forward her father’s legacy.

Exuding confidence Lyngdoh said that she is prepared to walk the talk like her father.

“In 1989 my dad was elected as an MP by the same constituency and then in 1991, so at that time I was a young girl, I just cleared my board examination, I was on vacation and I took that trail with him. I have pleasant memories of those journies that I took with my dad and hence I have decided to walk the talk like him. He was a person who talked the walk. I can build up from where he left. I am very confident that I am well seized of the challenges that are there before me. You must have seen that journey here was not easy and believe me when I tell you that I have been doing it regularly for almost 5 months now, ” Ampareen Lyngdoh said.

The NPP candidate from Shillong also shared her thoughts on how she overcame obstacles (bad roads) to reach out to the people of Marmain.

She said, “It is a commitment, before they made me the MP candidate of the NPP, I am well conversant with the kind of challenges that will be there before me, but how do I do it? It’s sheer dedication, sheer commitment, the responbility I feel, the burden that I bear for my people. Look at these roads if the Government of India does not intervene and make sure that we get big packages to ensure that we better this road, can you belive it. These people are telling me that the reminisence of this road are from the days of DD Lapang (former Meghalaya CM), who was the former MLA of this constituency, also the former CM of the state. Guess what I am gonna work hard and make sure that attention is drawn on this requirement. If You are going to wait for the state government, our resources are very restricted for various reasons and this why You need an MP. Give me 15 years of MP ship and I will bring better roads, I give you that assurance.”

Ampareen Lyngdoh also shared a few glimpses of her campaing trail in Marmain in a post on X

Political career of Ampareen Lyngdoh so far:

Ampareen Lyngdoh had won Assembly bypolls in 2008 as UDP candidate and 2009 as Congress candidate and elections in 2013, 2018 as Congress candiate and 2023 as NPP candidate.

She joined the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 2008 after Congress refused to give her a ticket to contest the 2008 state assembly elections. She contested the 2008 assembly election from Laitumkhrah constituency and won the seat.

In 2009 she contested the by-election in the Laitumkhrah constituency as a Congress candidate and again won the seat.

In the 2013 assembly elections, she contested the East Shillong Constituency, defeating UDP candidate and former Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong.

She has served as the Minister for Urban Development, Labour Affairs, Public Works Department, Labour Affairs, Government of Meghalaya from 2009 to 2013.

In the 2018 assembly elections, Lyngdoh contested the same seat and secured the seat once again.

Ampareen resigned from the Congress in December 2022 and immediately joined the NPP.

In the 2023, assembly elections, Lyngdoh won the seat as an NPP candidate and was inducted into the Conrad Sangma Cabinet as a minister.

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