Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 11 (EMN): 81 years old Chief Minister Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu on Tuesday filed his nomination papers to contest in the by-election for the 10 Northern Angami-I assembly constituency seat which is scheduled to be held on July 29 next.
The said assembly seat was recently vacated by Khriehu Liezietsu on May 24 in a bid to pave way for his father Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu, who is the incumbent chief minister but is not an elected member and needs to win a by-election to continue as chief minister.
Although Dr. Liezietsu is not an elected member of the assembly, he was chosen ‘unanimously’ by the ruling DAN legislature to head the state after the then chief minister TR Zeliang had to step down in February this year following a fallout between the state government and tribe organisations over ULB issue.
Chief minister Liezietsu, a veteran politician, had earlier represented the 10 Northern Angami-I assembly constituency for 8 terms but decided to retire from electoral politics in 2013, and his son Khriehu contested in the same constituency then and had won. However, by filing his nomination papers today, senior Liezietsu seals his re-entry into active electoral politics.
After filing the nomination papers at the DC office, reporters asked him if this meant he would also be contesting in the state elections due in 2018, to which Liezietsu said it was too early to comment.
Meanwhile, Liezietsu’s likely sole opponent in the by-election, 41 years old academician Kekhrie Yhome when contacted, informed that he will be filing his nomination on Wednesday.
