A beleaguered Congress is hoping to put its electoral debacle in Assam behind it and get back to winning ways in the Northeastern region, once its happy hunting ground.
On Thursday (May 14, 2026), the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee approved the name of its president, Vincent H. Pala, as the party’s candidate for the upcoming by-election to the Shillong Lok Sabha seat.
Mr. Pala represented the constituency for 15 years before Ricky Andrew J. Syngkon of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) defeated him in the 2024 polls by a margin of more than 3.71 lakh votes. The seat fell vacant following Syngkon’s death on February 19, after collapsing while playing football on the outskirts of Shillong.
Shillong MP Ricky Andrew J. Syngkon passes away
Expected by August
