Town Hall meeting in Kohima offers many an assurance

Kohima Bureau
Kohima, Feb. 17 (EMN): A second Town Hall meeting—or “common platform” to mean an event where political candidates speak about their visions—for five colonies of Kohima town was conducted on Feb. 17 at the APO hall in Kohima. Kohima town comes under the 8th Western Angami assembly constituency.
Candidates Kevisekho Kruse (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party; NDPP), Keneizhakho Nakhro (Naga People’s Front; NPF) and Asu Keyho (National People’s Party; NPF) were at the programme which was organised by eight Western Urban Panchayats Union (WUPC).
Addressing the gathering, NDPP candidate Kevisekho Kruse, a retired chief engineer of the Public Health Engineering department, said that his intention to contest in the assembly elections was to ‘provide stable leadership.’ He asserted that many political leaders were ‘directionless and had no vision and programme for the people of the constituency.’
“If elected, I am here to give leadership. We have to wake up and create opportunities for the people of the society. If we continue with this trend, we will be left disappointed as more and more problems will crop up,” Kruse said.
Expressing hope that the NDPP-BJP alliance will be forming the next government under the leadership of the chief ministerial candidate Neiphiu Rio, Kruse sought the support of the people to have him elected.
“Nagas are waiting for fresh candidates to bring change in the society. NDPP is the answer for the Nagas,” he asserted. He assured to ‘have equal treatment for all’ once elected.
NPF candidate Keneizhakho Nakhro, a former contractor, said he would work ‘according to the best interest of the people’ if elected.
“My chair will be open for all the constituency people, while I will work with transparency,” Nakhro said. He assured to give his best to developing the constituency particularly the five colonies of Kohima town.
“NPF is a party which safeguards the interest of the Naga people, and also the identity, culture and tradition of our people,” Nakhro said. He maintained that “the NPF is a party which do not subscribe to the order and advice of any high command.”
NPP candidate and former MLA Asu Keyho said that the party will be ‘the decider’ in government formation at the 13th NLA. He appealed to the voters of the constituency to vote for his party.
Referring to Manipur where Ibobi Singh could not form the govt. despite having 28 elected Congress representatives, Keyho said a similar situation will happen in Nagaland as he ‘foresees that a coalition government would be in place’ after the assembly elections.
Keyho sought the support of voters by claiming that he had better chances of getting a ministerial birth compared to his two opponents.
“Going by seniority, I am pretty sure of getting a ministerial birth if elected. My other two opponents, though elected, they will remain as an MLA in the 13th NLA. And this may be a disadvantage to the constituency,” he claimed. He assured to give ‘special attention’ to the five colonies of Kohima town if he is elected.