Ampareen Lyngdoh

Dr. Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh
Official portrait
Cabinet Minister, Government of Meghalaya
In office 7 March 2023 – 16 September 2025
Chief Minister	Conrad Sangma
Portfolios	Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Health and Family Welfare Information and Public Relations Law
Preceded by	Banteidor Lyngdoh (Agriculture) Prestone Tynsong (Health) James Sangma (Information, Law)
Succeeded by	Timothy Shira (Agriculture) Wailadmiki Shylla (Health) Lahkmen Rymbui (Information, Law)
In office 12 March 2013 – 6 March 2018
Chief Minister	Mukul Sangma
Portfolios	Labour Urban Affairs, Municipal Administration (until 2016) Public Works Department (Buildings) (from 2016)
In office 24 April 2010 – 1 March 2013
Chief Minister	Mukul Sangma
Portfolios	School Education and Literacy (until 2011) Higher and Technical Education (until 2011) Science and Technology (from 2011) Urban Affairs (from 2011) Municipal Administration and Housing (from 2011)
In office 13 May 2009 – 19 April 2010
Chief Minister	D. D. Lapang
Portfolios	Elementary and Mass Education Higher and Technical Education Printing and Stationery
Member, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 2013
Preceded by	Constituency established
Constituency	East Shillong
In office 2008–2013
Preceded by	Robert Garnett Lyngdoh
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Constituency	Laitumkhrah
Personal details
Born	(1965-05-05) 5 May 1965 Shillong, India
Nationality	Indian
Political party	National People's Party (2022-present)
Other political affiliations	United Democratic Party (2008–2009) Indian National Congress (2009–2022)
Spouse(s)	Fantin Joseph Lakadong
Children	Grazel Lyngdoh Jade Lyngdoh Kyra Lyngdoh
Parent(s)	Peter G. Marbaniang Q.E. Lyngdoh
Residence	Laitumkhrah, Shillong
Education	Bachelor of Arts, Jesus and Mary College Master of Arts, Jamia Millia Islamia Ph.D., North Eastern Hill University.
Alma mater	Loreto Convent, Shillong Jesus & Mary College, University of Delhi Jamia Milia Islamia North Eastern Hill University (Ph.D)
Occupation	Politician, former lecturer

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 is currently serving as Adviser to the Government of Meghalaya. She also served as a Cabinet Minister in the State Government of Meghalaya from 2023 to 2025.

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.

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 and Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. Her brother, Robert Garnett Lyngdoh was a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly who also served as the 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 professor 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 May 01, 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. 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.

She was the only female legislator in the Meghalaya Assembly from 2008 to 2013. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Election	Year	Party	Constituency	Result	Votes	% votes	Source
Meghalaya Legislative Assembly	2008	United Democratic Party	Laitumkhrah	Won	3,775	34.10%
Meghalaya Legislative Assembly (by-election)	2009	Indian National Congress		Won	5,800	54.81%
Meghalaya Legislative Assembly	2013	Indian National Congress	East Shillong	Won	10,103	62.9%
Meghalaya Legislative Assembly	2018	Indian National Congress		Won	10,368	61.4%
Meghalaya Legislative Assembly	2023	National People's Party (India)		Won	6,636	39.56%