Four candidates to vie for 12269 votes on April 11 bye-election
Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 24
The bye-election to the 26 Aonglenden Assembly Constituency (AC) slated on April 11 is poised to be a high stake nail-biting four-way contest.
While only Sharingain Longkumer, consensus candidate of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) has filed the nomination as of now, the three candidates - National People’s Party’s (NPP) O Tinujungshi Longkumer; Opposition Naga People’s Front’s (NPF) Toshipokba; and Indian National Congress candidate (INC) Alemjongshi Longkumer - have officially announced their candidatures.
As per the Nagaland Chief Electoral Officers’ Office, there are 12,269 voters in 16 polling stations. The 26 Aonglengden A/C covers four wards in Mokokchung town namely- Dilong, Arkong, Sangtemla and Marepkong and three villages- Ungma, Settsu and Kubza.
Incidentally, all the four candidates contesting for the coveted seat hail from Ungma village.
History
During the first state assembly election in 1964, an Independent won the seat. The next election in 1969 saw a United Front of Nagaland candidate taking the seat.
The emergence of Dr SC Jamir from the next election catapulted it to one of the most recognised constituencies in the state.
While Jamir entered state politics through a bye-election from Mongoya Assembly Constituency in 1971, he first won the Aonglenden seat in 1974 with a United Democratic Front (UDF) ticket and went on to retain the seat in the 1977 election.
Thereafter, his re-election from an INC ticket in 1982 made the constituency virtually a Congress bastion. In the next election in 1987, another INC candidate late Nungshizenba was elected. He retained the seat when the state went for early polls in 1989 and was re-elected again in 1993.
Jamir, who vacated the seat to Nungshizenba to contest the previous two elections from Mokokchung Town, returned to Aonglenden in 1998 and was re-elected in 2003.
In 2008, Nungshizenba returned to the seat but his untimely demise led to a bye-election in 2011.
In what could be considered as a first major electoral defeat for SC Jamir, a newbie Toshipokba contesting on an NPF ticket defeated the Congress stalwart.
In 2013 and 2018, the late Imtikumzuk won the seat from the constituency. He first won the seat on a Congress ticket in 2013, but later joined the NPF midway into the 12th Nagaland Legislative Assembly in 2015 when elected Congress members ‘merged’ with the then ruling party rendering the House “opposition-less.”
Before the election to the 13th NLA in February 2018, Imtikumzuk joined a newly formed NDPP to retain the seat.
Fight for legacies and beyond
The Aonglengden bye-election promises to be an emotionally charged one with all the contenders either having legacy to protect or home turf to recapture or defend.
For instance, both Sharingain and Tinujungshi are intimately related two previous holders of the seat. The former is the son of Nungshizenba, while the latter is the brother of the late Imtikumzuk, whose untimely in 2018 necessitated the present bye-election.
Once a bastion of the senior most surviving Naga politician, five-time Chief Minister and former Governor Dr SC Jamir, a victory in the constituency would give the Congress - with nil wins in the last Assembly elections - a semblance of presence in the 13th NLA.
The state Congress has been conspicuously revived in recent times, with the party’s fortune improving both at the Centre and boosting the morale in the state Congress camp. Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) President K Therie had recently claimed that ‘good days are coming’ and the ‘sun is rising’ on the party.
The INC has made crucial electoral gains in recent times revitalising the party’s rank and file and the ‘trickle-down’ affect has been felt at the state. Notably, in the state front, many ‘dissident’ members have made a moral boosting return to the Party’s fold. The NPCC has fronted a ‘homecomer’ - former Chief Minister, KL Chishi as its candidate to the Lok Sabha election.
In the case of the NPF’s Toshipokba, even though he lost three Assembly contests in 2008, 2013 and 2018, the image of a giant slayer still rests on his shoulders. In the 2011 bye-election to the Aonglenden seat, he defeated SC Jamir at his home turf with a margin of 1,320 votes on an NPF ticket. In the last election, Toshipokba lost to Imtikumzuk with a narrow margin of 86 votes.
For NPF, the then defeat of Dr SC Jamir was considered as consolidation of the party’s influence across the state.
The NPF is confident there still is a large swathe of its supporters under Aonglengden A/C. It may once again seek ‘resurrection’ with a morale boosting win from the constituency besides adding a crucial member to the party in the fluctuating political games in Nagaland.
First blood?
The poll battle has already begun with familiar narrative – the first casualty being the merger of two NPP legislators - Imnatiba and L Khumo Khaimniungam with the NDPP on March 20 after a reported rift over the former participation in the bye-election.
NPP State President Ato Yepthomi while handing over the ticket to its candidate Tinujungshi on March 23 reportedly said that the party had “sacrificed” two of its legislators for the bye -election and was ready to use all its resources for victory.
An all-out contest
With the high stake contest in the offing, it has been reported that all the contesting parties are leaving no stone unturned to steer the verdict on its favour.
Most of the legislators from Mokokchung are reportedly camping in district headquarters to canvass for their respective parties.
While the NPF has announced that it will kick off its campaign on March 29, the other three has already ‘hoisted the party flag’ or launched the campaign.
