Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh (born 5 May 1965) is an Indian politician who has served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Indian state of Meghalaya since 2008. She currently serves as a Cabinet Minister in the State Government of Meghalaya.
She was previously a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Meghalaya for Labour Affairs, Information Technology, Information & Broadcasting, Housing, Urban Development Affairs, and Housing from 2013 to 2018; and Minister for Education from 2009 to 2013.
Until August 2021, she served as a Secretary of the All India Congress Committee, in charge of the state of Mizoram. She served as the working president of the Indian National Congress in the state of Meghalaya until 2022.
She was the sole female member of the house in the 60 member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2013. Prior to joining active politics, she was a lecturer at St. Anthony's College, Shillong, where she taught mass communication.
In 2013, Lyngdoh earned a Ph.D. from the North Eastern Hill University. The title of her thesis was Influence of Media on Public Opinion During The Periods of Social Unrest: A Study of Meghalaya.[5]
Early career
Lyngdoh was a professor of Mass Communications at St. Anthony's College, Shillong where she was the head of the Department of Mass Communication.[6]
Political career
She started her political career as a member of the Indian Youth Congress, and was closely involved in the election campaigns of her father, Peter G. Marbaniang and her brother Robert G. Lyngdoh before joining active politics. They were both leaders of the Indian National Congress.
President Shri Pranab Mukherjee with the Speaker, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, Shri A.T. Mondal and Ampareen Lyngdoh, Minister, Government of Meghalaya along with MLAs from Meghalaya, in New Delhi on May 01, 2013
When the United Democratic Party gave her an election ticket, 44 members of the party resigned in protest because her brother Robert G Lyngdoh was a Congress legislator and the state's minister for education at that time.[8]
As a candidate from the United Democratic Party, Lyngdoh won the 2008 state assembly elections from the Laitumkhrah constituency, a stronghold of her family from which her father and her brother had been elected earlier to become the only woman MLA in the 8th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. She defeated Malcom B Tariang, who fought the election as an independent candidate.[9]
She re-joined the Congress, her party rewarding her by making her the state's minister for education, although she was no longer a legislator.[7] Her resignation from the Assembly resulted in a by-election, which she won in August 2009. Once again, she defeated Tariang, who fought as a UDP candidate this time.[9]
She was the only female legislator in the Meghalaya Assembly from 2008 to 2013.[9][11] During these five years, her assets increased by 9000%, from ₹ 23,518 to ₹ 2,100,000, according to the affidavits she submitted to the Election Commission.[12][13]
On 14 February 2022, Lyngdoh along with 4 other fellow Congress MLAs was suspended by the party for backing the BJP allied NPP state government.[14]
Lyngdoh has served as a Cabinet Minister in the state government, and during her first two terms as a Cabinet Minister, she held portfolios including Public Works Department, Information Technology, Information & Communication, Urban Development, Housing, Labour, Education and Tourism.[17][18] She was the Chairman of the Meghalaya Urban Development Agency while holding the Urban Development portfolio.
Following her re-election as a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in 2023, Lyngdoh was appointed as a Cabinet Minister in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance 2.0 Government.
Assembly committees
Lyngdoh is the Chairperson of the Meghalaya Assembly Standing Committee for the Empowerment of Women and a member of the Assembly Committee for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Other Backward Classes.[citation needed]
Legal issues
In 2017, the High Court of Meghalaya cancelled the appointment of 365 teachers who were appointed in Government lower primary schools after allegations of irregularities in the selection process which were conducted in 2010 when Lyngdoh was the state's minister for education purportedly involved many politicians from the state. The court also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the "criminal aspect" of the irregularities that were alleged to have marked the selection process.[19]
Electoral record
In 2008 Lyngdoh contested the Laitumkhrah constituency as a UDP candidate, winning her first election to the state assembly.
In 2009 she contested the by-election in the Laitumkhrah constituency as an Indian National Congress candidate, winning again.
In 2013 she contested the East Shillong Constituency, defeating the UDP candidate and former Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong.[11]
In 2018 Lyngdoh contested the East Shillong Constituency, once again winning the seat with a 36% margin. Her nearest rival from the Bharatiya Janata Party by over 6,000 votes. She also defeated former Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong of the UDP.[20][21]
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