Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 25
The battle for the lone seat to the Lok Sabha in Nagaland will likely be a 4-way contest with two more candidates sounding the bugle on March 25, the last date for filing of nominations.
With a major player (NPF) out of the picture, the Parliamentary polls will pit two veterans and two newcomers.
While the BJP may not be in the race directly in Nagaland, three of the four candidates have had associations with the BJP at one point of time, while the fourth is presently a BJP ally.
The list of candidates as on March 25 read KL Chishi, Tokheho Yepthomi, Hayithung Tungoe and Dr MM Thromwa Konyak.
Hayithung Tungoe of the National People's Party (NPP) and Dr MM Thromwa Konyak of the Indian Christian Secular Party (CSP) filed nominations on the last day of nomination for election to the Nagaland Parliamentary Constituency Election at the Commissioner's Conference Hall on March 25, informed a media release issued by Directorate of Information & Publicity (DIPR), Nagaland.
The DIPR release informed that the nomination papers and other important documents of the candidates were duly scrutinised and verified by the Commissioner & Returning Officer, Nagaland, M. Patton assisted by ADC (HQ) & ARO, Limanenla in the presence of General Observer, Ravi Jha, IAS.
Tungoe’s candidature under the NPP banner came in the backdrop speculations and denials from the party in equal measure.
As late as Sunday, March 24, the NPP denied handing the party ticket to Tungoe while pictures doing the rounds on social media spoke otherwise. NPP President Ato Yepthomi told The Morung Express on Sunday night that the party was still to decide on Tungoe’s candidature.
The denial though contradicted visual evidence, which showed Tungoe, a former BJP ST Morcha National Secretary, holding the NPP ticket issued on March 23.
The other candidate, Dr MM Thromwa Konyak, though a new face in electoral contests, is not quite literally a newbie as he was once a BJP member. He was an active BJP member before an unceremonious exit from the party for alleged “breach of party discipline” in March 2014. His party, the ICSP, a national party launched in February 2014 with a ‘trumpet’ as its symbol, is headquartered in Secundarabad, Telangana.
As for the NPF, it was confirmed today the party will not contest the LS polls. The party’s Spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon described its decision to not contest as a “political strategy.” He did not dwell on what it implied however.
With the Congress openly announcing its desire to ally with the NPF, it is likely the latter will side with the former in the electioneering, if the decision to not contest is any indication. Kikon though stopped short of naming the Congress as a likely ally.
According to him, the party met today to form a ‘Coordination Committee’ headed by Rajya Sabha member KG Kenye, who is also the party Secretary General. He said that the committee will work out the prospects of allying with “like-minded parties having secular credentials.”
The meeting had in attendance, NPF Legislature Party leader TR Zeliang, a few MLAs and senior party functionaries.
In this regard, he added that a decision will be made and announced soon.
