Nagaland bye-polls: Two seats and balance of power

Our Correspondent

Kohima, Oct. 6 (EMN): The delicately poised political equation in Nagaland offers a tantalising backdrop to the recent announcement of bye-polls to two vacant seats in the state: 14-Southern Angami-I and 60-Pungro-Kiphire assembly constituencies.

Since the announcement by the Election Commission of India that the bye-polls would be conducted on November 3, different political parties have been laying the groundwork before announcing their respective candidates.

Sources from the Nagaland unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) told Eastern Mirror that the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) will be fighting the bye-elections by splitting the seats between the BJP and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

“NDPP will be contesting in Kohima (for the Southern Angami-I assembly constituency) while BJP will be contesting in Kiphire (for 60-Pungro-Kiphire assembly constituency),” said the source.

The PDA leaders will convene a meeting, after which it will declare the respective candidates, the source added.

As far as the Southern Angami-I assembly constituency is concerned, the fight is expected to be multi-cornered as sources from leading political parties in the state have confirmed their participation.

A representative of Kohima District Congress Committee (KDCC) told this newspaper that ‘in a day or two’, the party will be holding a meeting in regard to fielding a candidate for the coming election.

“For contesting in the bye-poll, we will be holding a meeting soon,” informed the source.

The opposition Naga People’s Front (NPF) also maintained that it will field a candidate in the bye-poll to the 14-Southern Angami-I assembly constituency.

One of the NPF’s central office bearers said that the party is yet to decide on the candidate but will definitely contest for the vacant seat.

“We will wait first for NDPP to issue their ticket and then declare our candidate,” he said.

Sources from NDPP Kohima region said that ‘finalising the candidate is out of question now’.

“We don’t know anything now,” the source added. There are speculations that many aspirants are seeking for NDPP ticket to contest the Southern Angami-I bye-election.  

Observers also did not rule out some aspirants contesting as independent candidates.

The bye-polls in the state have been announced to fill the seats left vacant after the demise of two legislators: then Speaker and NDPP representative Vikho-o Yhoshü (14-Southern Angami-I) and NPF representative T Torechu (60-Pungro-Kiphire). Under the current equation, NDPP has 20 sitting legislators; BJP, its alliance partner, has 12 legislators; and opposition NPF has 25.