The North East is gearing up for byelections on Wednesday, with eight seats in focus across Assam, Meghalaya, and Sikkim.

Two seats in Sikkim have already been secured uncontested by the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), leading to a historic moment as the SKM now commands all 32 seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

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This leaves the state without an opposition, as rival candidates withdrew their nominations, consolidating SKM’s hold on the region’s political landscape.

The remaining six seats in the North East are split across Assam (five seats) and Meghalaya (one seat), with several high-profile contests expected to test political alliances and family legacies.

Meghalaya’s Gambegre Constituency: Sangma Family in the Spotlight

In Meghalaya’s Gambegre constituency in the Garo Hills, all eyes are on Mehtab Chandi Sangma, wife of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, who is making her political debut. The Sangma family, a powerful name in Meghalaya politics, has a long legacy dating back to the late P A Sangma, a prominent politician who held national-level roles and laid the foundation for the family’s political influence in the state. The stakes are high for Conrad Sangma, whose brother, James Sangma, recently lost his seat in the state assembly elections, while his sister, Agatha Sangma, faced defeat in the Tura parliamentary elections against Congress candidate Saleng Sangma.

Mehtab Chandi Sangma faces a challenging field, with strong contenders including Sadiya Rani M Sangma of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, running on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket.

Adding to the intensity is Bernard Marak, a former militant leader turned politician, who represents the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the race. Given the stature of these candidates and their party affiliations, the Gambegre by-election is anticipated to be a closely watched battleground.

Assam’s Byelections: Key Seats and Political Legacies

In Assam, five legislative assembly seats are set for bypolls, with four previously held by the ruling BJP and one by the Congress. Among these, the Samaguri constituency has drawn significant attention as it features Tanzel Hussain, son of heavyweight Congress leader Rockybul Hussain. Rockybul Hussain recently secured a historic victory from Dhubri in the MP elections, winning by one of the largest margins nationwide. Tanzel’s success or failure in Samaguri could signal the future trajectory of the family’s political influence and Congress’s appeal among Assam’s sizable minority electorate.

In Bongaigaon, the race is led by Diptimohan Choudhury of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), an ally of the BJP, who aims to carry forward the political legacy of her husband, Phani Bhushan Choudhury, the AGP Member of Parliament. Diptimohan’s campaign has focused on local developmental issues, though she also faces challenges from candidates keen on capitalising on the national political scene’s shifting dynamics.

With high stakes in both states, the North-East byelections represent a significant test for political families, ruling alliances, and opposition parties alike. The outcomes in Meghalaya and Assam will not only reflect on local allegiances but may also shape the strategies of regional powerhouses like the TMC, BJP, Congress, and AGP as they brace for the 2026 assembly elections across the region.