1. Early Life & Family

2. Education

3. Early career

4. Political career
     United Democratic Party    Rejoining the Indian National Congress  

5. Positions in the Indian National Congress

6. Positions in Government

7. Assembly Committees

8. Electoral Record

9. References

Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh is an Indian politician from the state of Meghalaya currently serving as a member of the 10th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly representing the East Shillong Constituency and as Secretary of the All India Congress Committee. She was a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Meghalaya from 2009 to 2018 in the MUA governments.

Early Life & Family

Ampareen Lyngdoh was born in Shillong. She is the daughter of Peter G. Marbaniang, a former Member of Parliament and Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.^[1] Her brother, Robert Garnett Lyngdoh was a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly who also served as the Home Minister in the State Government. She is married and has three children.

Education

She completed her school education at Loreto Convent, Shillong. She completed her under-graduation in English at the Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi.^[2] She graduated from Jamia Milia Islamia University in New Delhi with a master's degree in Mass Communication . In 2013, Ampareen 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.^[3] President Pranab Mukherjee presented her with her degree at the convocation.

Early career

Ampareen Lyngdoh was a professor of Mass Communications at St. Anthony's College, Shillong before joining active politics. At St. Anthony's College, she was the head of the Department of Mass Communication.

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.

United Democratic Party

She briefly joined the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 2008 after her party, the Indian National Congress refused to give her a ticket to contest the 2008 state Assembly elections.^[4] When the UDP gave her an election ticket; 44 members of UDP resigned in protest, because her brother Robert G Lyngdoh was a Congress legislator and the state's education minister at that time. The protestors wanted the party to give ticket to Malcolm B. Tariang, the state president of UDP's youth wing.^[5]

As a UDP candidate, she won the 2008 state assembly elections, becoming the only woman MLA in the 8th Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. Lyngdoh was elected to the Meghalaya Assembly from the Laitumkhrah constituency, a stronghold of her family from which her father and her brother had been elected earlier. She defeated Malcom B Tariang, who fought the election as an independent candidate.^[6]

Rejoining the Indian National Congress

She met Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, and resigned from UDP and the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on 31 March 2009.^[7] She re-joined the Congress; her party rewarding her by making her the state's education minister, although she was no longer a legislator.^[4] 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.^[6]

She was the only female legislator in the Meghalaya Assembly during 2008-2013.^[6][8] During these five years, her assets increased by 9000%, from {{INR}} 23,518 to {{INR}} 2,100,000, according to the affidavits she submitted to the Election Commission.^[9][10]

Positions in the Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi appointed her as a secretary of the All India Congress Committee in charge of Mizoram^[11] ahead of the crucial state assembly election in 2018.

She was appointed as President of the Meghalaya chapter of the All India Professionals Congress in August, 2018.^[12]

Positions in Government

She has served as a Cabinet Minister (India) in the state Government, holding portfolios like Public Works Department, Information Technology, Information & Communication, Urban Development, Housing, Labour, Education and Tourism.^[13][14]

She was the Chairman of the Meghalaya Urban Development Agency while holding the Urban Development portfolio.

Assembly Committees

She is the Chairperson of the Meghalaya Assembly Standing Committee for the Empowerment of Women. She is also a member of the Assembly Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, and Other Backward Classes.

Electoral Record

In 2008 she 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.^[8]

In 2018 she contested the East Shillong Constituency, once again winning the seat by defeating 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.  

References

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• The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography
• The Virginia Mountaineer
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• The Virginia Quarterly Review
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• The Virgin in the Ice
• The Virgin Islands
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