Shillong, Aug 11: After months of speculations and rumours as to who would be National Pepple’s Party (NPP) candidate for the upcoming Gambegre by-election, NPP Chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has put all these to rest by announcing the name of his wife, Mehtab Chandee A Sangma, as the official candidate of the party.

He made the announcement at a public meeting in Gambegre on Saturday.

He also informed that the decision to field his wife was based on the ‘overwhelming demand’ for her candidature from the public of Gambegre.

“She (Mehtab) was never into politics. Even after our marriage she always stayed away from politics. But now, people from Gambegre are demanding that they want her to be their elected representative,” he explained.

Gambegre Assembly seat is currently empty after its sitting Congress legislator, Saleng A Sangma, won the Tura MP seat in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

At the same, Conrad also promised development for Gambegre if his wife is elected. Through his wife, he said, the people of the constituency will have direct access to him as well.

“If elected, your MLA will have direct access to the chief minister to look into the problems of the constituency, and this is crucial because there is a lot of developmental works needed in Gambegre,” said the CM.

NPP currently has 28 MLAs in the 60-member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. It had won 26 seats in the 2023 assembly polls, and later in the month of May 2023, People’s Democratic Front (PDF), a regional party with 2 MLAs, merged with the party; taking the overall strength of the party to 28. If Mehtab Chandee A Sangma wins the Gambegre seat, which was held by Saleng for 3 consecutive terms, it would further consolidate NPP’s position to remain in power for the next 4 years.

While Mehtab Chandee A Sangma has not been in any active political role, thus far, and maintains a low profile, she is known to be the real force behind Conrad K. Sangma’s success. She has been following her husband closely in almost all rallies and important meetings for the past few years, thereby giving her firsthand understanding of the political dealings and situational awareness in the state.

She also commands great respect in NPP, which is evident from the fact that party’s core grassroot workers had recommended her name for the Gambegre seat, despite 10 prominent leaders vying for the ticket.

The Gambegre battle is set to be multi-cornered fight with Congress, TMC, and BJP also looking to grab the seat.

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