Limalenden Longkumer
Mokokchung | October 28
With still four months to go, no election campaign has officially been launched by any political party as yet, but Mokokchung is sensing election fervor lately, with 26 Aonglenden A/C, the bastion of veteran congressman Dr. SC Jamir, being the latest to turn to election mode.
In a switch of places, the sitting MLA from the constituency C. Apok Jamir is reported to contest the ensuing general election from 27 Urban Mokokchung A/C, presently represented by senior Congressman Nungshizenba, who will in turn contest from 26 Aonglenden A/C. Incidentally, another regular Congress party worker and an aide of former Chief Minister SC Jamir is also vying for the Congress ticket, a younger Imtikumzuk. Both are from Ungma village which makes up a major bulk of the total electorate of the constituency.
While the senior congressman Nungshizenba’s camp is still keeping calm, Imtikumzuk’s camp is already on the move. Several hundreds of the younger intending candidate’s supporters on Saturday organized a ‘picnic’ to Dikhu vicinity. It was reportedly resolved that the youth wing of the party in the constituency would dissolve en masse if their aspiration to have the Congress ticket granted to Imtikumzuk is not conceded. Youth workers from all seven ‘units’ of 26 Aonglenden A/C were present at the ‘picnic’. The intending candidate however could not make it to the ‘picnic’ reportedly because of “an important work in Kohima.”
The youth workers allege that a ‘recommendation letter’ submitted by the District Youth Congress to the District Congress Committee written in support of Imtikumzuk, which was supposed to be forwarded to the NPCC, was ‘misplaced’. A confidant source in the Congress youth wing disclosed that Imtikumzuk should win the party ticket. An official note from the youth wing is expected to be made available to the press soon. It was also disclosed that although the NPCC has earlier agreed in principle to grant tickets to all sitting MLAs of the party when Ranjit Singh was the AICC in-charge of Nagaland, the newly appointed AICC in-charge of the state, Margaret Alva has a different idea. Toshipokba, also from Ungma village, is reported to contest the next election from the constituency with the NPF ticket.
