Assam election: NPP fields candidates in three constituencies for the April 9 election

The “friendly contest” with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in the Sibsagar constituency has diverted attention from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) not-so-friendly contest with another NDA constituent, the National People’s Party (NPP).

The NPP fielded candidates in three constituencies for the April 9 elections; That’s eight points fewer than in 2021. These include MLA Mohammed Aminul Islam from Mankachar, Ganseng B. Sangma from Boko-Chaygaon and Daniel Langthasa from Haflong.

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Mr. Islam, who left the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) before the elections, will face AGP’s Jabed Islam in Mankachar, on the border of Meghalaya and Bangladesh. Raju Mech and Rupali Langthasa of the BJP are the main rivals of Mr. Sangma and Mr. Langthasa.

Mr Langthasa was one of four northeastern leaders who joined hands a year ago to create a “viable political alternative” in the region. The others are NPP’s national president and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, Tripura’s Tipra Motha Party founder Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma and former Nagaland BJP leader Mmhonlumo Kikon.

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Defending his party’s decision to contest the Assam elections, Mr. Sangma said gaining a foothold in Assam was more important for his party than fielding too many candidates. “We have identified selected constituencies based on long-term connections with the local people. We want to expand into Assam, but immediate electoral gains are not our goal,” he said, insisting that the NPP’s “small foray” into Assam should be seen as part of a broader, long-term strategy.

NPP, the only national party to emerge from the northeast, was founded over a decade ago by former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno A. Sangma. His son Conrad Sangma made the NPP a political force beyond its backyard Meghalaya.

The NPP remained strong in Meghalaya in 2023, winning 26 of the 60 seats in the state in alliance with the BJP and others. It also won five Assembly seats each in Arunachal Pradesh (2024 polls), Manipur (2022) and Nagaland (2023).

“We hope to open our account in Assam this time,” the Prime Minister said.

Despite being part of the National Democratic Alliance, the NPP never had a pre-election connection with its post-election partners.