Shillong: Congress Fields Sitting MP Vincent Pala For A Fourth Win (image-X/vincentpala)

The Indian National Congress has had a stronghold over the Shillong Lok Sabha seat since 2004. While Congress candidate Paty Ripple Kyndiah secured the seat that year, in 2009 the party nominated Vincent H. Pala. Securing over 2.3 lakh votes, he won with an overwhelming majority. Since then, Vincent Pala has maintained his victory in the 2014 and 2019 elections. In 2019, he won 4.9 lakh votes, his highest ever, beating United Democratic Party (UDP) candidate Jemino Mawthoh, who won 2.6 lakh votes.

Now, in the hopes of securing a fourth win, the Congress party has once again nominated Pala for the Shillong Lok Sabha seat.

One of the two Lok Sabha constituencies in Christian-dominated Meghalaya is Shillong, reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs). There are over 36 Vidhan Sabhas, or legislative assemblies, that fall under the Shillong Lok Sabha constituency.

In January, Pala slammed the central government and the Meghalaya State government for their “lack” of seriousness in peace talks with the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), a militant organisation representing the Khasi-Jaintia tribal people. He stated that the central government makes big promises in the manifesto, but the reality is that they never care for the people of the North East.

He worked as an assistant chief engineer in the Public Works Department (PWD) of the Meghalaya government from 2000 to 2008. During his tenure as a MP in 2009, he served as the Union Minister of States, Water Resources, and then Union Minister of States, Minority Affairs. He currently serves as the President of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee.

Vincent Pala graduated in civil engineering from the University of North Bengal in 1990. Married to Dimorine Tariang, Pala has four daughters.