Summary of this article
The NPP contested 11 seats in the 2021 Assam assembly elections but lost all of them.
For the 2026 elections, they are aiming for a symbolic first win by fielding three candidates in carefully chosen constituencies.
The NPP is relying on local issues like connectivity, corruption, and identity to overcome established party loyalties.
The National People’s Party (NPP) plans to contest the electoral battle in Assam. With the state heading to the polls on April 9, 2026, the party is working to establish a foothold, leaning heavily on Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma’s "One Northeast" doctrine and the local clout of turncoat leaders.
While the NPP has been a key player in the Northeast for years, the party only contested in 2021 Assam assembly elections on 11 seats and lost in all.
For the 2026 Assam election, the party is up with fresh faces and a fresh message. "We have identified certain constituencies where we have been in touch with leaders for a long time," Conrad Sangma explained while launching the campaign. "For us, it is a process and a commitment that we are making to the state of Assam.”
The party is aiming for a modest but symbolic victory. “We hope that we will be able to open an account in this election in Assam,” Sangma told reporters on March 25 .
The NPP is contesting three specific seats, tailoring its candidates to local demographics.
Ganseng B. Sangma is running from the Boko-Chaygaon constituency (reserved for Scheduled Tribes), which borders Meghalaya. Daniel Langthasa is the party’s pick for the Haflong seat in Dima Hasao and Mohammed Aminul Islam, a former AIUDF legislator, will contest from Mankachar.
The campaign rhetoric has bifurcated along geographic lines, with Conrad Sangma leading a charge for regional unity in the plains, while Daniel Langthasa rallies the hill districts on a platform of constitutional protections.
At a massive rally in Boko-Chaygaon, Conrad Sangma urged voters to transcend traditional party lines, framing the election as a choice between national parties and a united regional voice. “National parties have divided ethnic groups for political gain. The seed planted by my father, P. A. Sangma, fourteen years ago has now grown into a tree that shelters the entire Northeast,” Sangma told a crowd at the Shanti-Nijora Club ground .
He emphasised upon the "One Northeast" political platform, launched in November 2025 with leaders from Tripura and Nagaland, as the vehicle for this vision. “This election is the voice of the Northeast,” he declared, asking voters to support Ganseng B. Sangma to usher in a new dawn for the region .
In the hill district of Dima Hasao, the narrative shifts to identity and land. Daniel Langthasa, a former Congress leader and son of a slain autonomous council member, is leveraging his local legacy to challenge the ruling BJP.
Langthasa is focusing heavily on the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides autonomy to tribal areas. He alleges that indigenous land is being sold to external corporations without the consent of local communities.
"Our fight is to protect our land and our rights. We don't want a government controlled from Delhi or Dispur," Langthasa said during his nomination filing in Haflong. He has criticized the state administration for uneven development, pointing to unfinished road projects, LPG shortages, and the transfer of "thousands of bighas of land to external companies".
Invoking the legacy of martyr Bir Shambudhan Phonglo, Langthasa warned voters that the 2026 election is a battle for survival.
“If we are not allowed to land a helicopter, we will come by road; if needed, we will come on foot,” Conrad Sangma had earlier said after allegations that the local administration was blocking their campaign logistics.
However, with Conrad Sangma putting his political weight behind the effort, campaigning alongside a dozen ministers from Meghalaya, the NPP is betting that local issues of connectivity, corruption, and indigenous identity will resonate louder than established party loyalties in these border constituencies.
