Ampareen Lyngdoh

Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh (born 5 May 1965) is an Indian politician who has consecutively served as a legislator from the Indian state of Meghalaya since 2008. She serves as the Adviser to the Government of Meghalaya. Lyngdoh served as a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Meghalaya across multiple administrations, holding office at various times between 2009 and 2025.

During her tenure, she oversaw portfolios including Labour Affairs, Information Technology, Information & Broadcasting, Housing, and Urban Development between 2013 and 2018, and earlier served as Minister for Education from 2009 to 2013. More recently, her ministerial responsibilities have encompassed Health & Family Welfare, Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, and Information & Public Relations, where she was also the sole female minister in the MDA‑II government.

Notably, she was the only female member of the 60‑member Meghalaya Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2013. Prior to entering active politics, she taught mass communication as a lecturer at St. Anthony’s College, Shillong.

Early life and family

Ampareen Lyngdoh was born in Shillong. She is the daughter of Peter G. Marbaniang and Q. E. Lyngdoh.

Her father was a Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, and also served as a minister in the state government.

Her late brother, Robert Garnett Lyngdoh, was a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly and served as Home Minister in the Government of Meghalaya.

She is married and has three children.

Education

Lyngdoh completed her school education at the Loreto Convent, Shillong.

She pursued her undergraduate degree in English at the Jesus and Mary College at the University of Delhi. She graduated from Jamia Milia Islamia University in 1990 with a master's degree in 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.

Early career

Lyngdoh was a lecturer of Mass Communications at St. Anthony's College, Shillong where 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.

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 1 May 2013

United Democratic Party Lyngdoh briefly joined the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 2008 after the Indian National Congress refused to give her a ticket to contest the 2008 state Assembly elections.

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.

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.

Re-joining the Indian National Congress and subsequent suspension Lyngdoh met Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi, after which she resigned from the United Democratic Party and the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on 31 March 2009.

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. 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.

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.

Positions in the Indian National Congress

Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi appointed Lyngdoh a secretary of the All India Congress Committee in charge of Mizoram ahead of the crucial state assembly election in 2018. She was appointed as the President of the Meghalaya chapter of the All India Professionals Congress in August 2018.

In August 2021, she was appointed as the working president of the Indian National Congress in Meghalaya.

In February 2022, a group of 5 Indian National Congress MLAs led by Ampareen Lyngdoh gave their support to the Conrad Sangma National People's Party Bharatiya Janata Party backed government. This resulted in an expulsion of all five last remaining Indian National Congress MLAs.

Positions in government 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. 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, she served in this position till 2025. Later, she was appointed as the Adviser to the Government of Meghalaya.

Controversies

In 2017, the High Court of Meghalaya cancelled the appointment of teachers in government lower primary schools following allegations of irregularities in the 2010 selection process, which took place during Lyngdoh’s tenure as Minister for Education. The court also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to examine the alleged irregularities.

In 2025, the High Court of Meghalaya quashed all charges against Lyngdoh, noting that “the prosecution has failed to establish even a prima facie case” against her.

Electoral record In 2008, Lyngdoh contested the State Assembly Elections from the Laitumkhrah constituency as a UDP candidate, which marked her first election to the state assembly.

In 2009, following her resignation from the constituency, she contested a by-election in the same Laitumkhrah constituency as an Indian National Congress candidate, and won again.

In 2013 she contested the East Shillong Constituency, defeating the UDP candidate and then Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M Lanong.

She won in 2023, on a National People's Party ticket defeating Indian National Congress candidate Manuel Badwar by 1,711 votes.