One of the three indenting candidates, R.Lima Pongen, vying for the NPF party ticket to contest in the yet to be declared bye-election to the 26 Aonglenden Assembly Constituency of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, is seen here with Ungma village elders after submitting his application to the NPF Mokokchung Division Office, January 31. (Morung Photo)
Mokokchung | January 31 : Even though the date for bye-election to the 26 Aonglenden Assembly Constituency is yet to be declared by the Election Commission, there are signs that the ‘election mood’ has already set in the constituency. The constituency in question is lying vacant after the sitting MLA and senior Congress veteran Nungshizenba Longkumer passed away in November last year.
Aonglenden has all along remained a Congress bastion and no other political party in recent history has made any significant inroad into the constituency. The only time a non-Congress party made some ripples was during the last assembly general elections when Nungshizenba met with some formidable contest. New entrant and independent candidate Imtikümzük as well as NPF’s Toshipokba rendered some stiff hurdles, though Congressman Nungshizenba eventually got through.
This time round, however, the NPF is seemingly confident, if not over confident, that they will win the Aonglenden seat as and when the bye-election is held. NPF Mokokchung Divisional workers today told this correspondent, in the side lines of one of their members applying for the party’s ticket to contest, that the seat is theirs to be taken. Moreover, the fact that the party in power often gets away with the prize during bye-elections is enough evidence to boost the morale of the NPF camp.
As of today, at least three intending candidates have already submitted letters to the NPF Mokokchung Division office expressing their interest and seeking for the party ticket. Though the party’s candidate is to be selected by the Central Executive Committee, each of the three is confident that he will win the ticket to contest in the bye-election. Meanwhile, the Congress camp is keeping their cool and there seems to be no sense of urgency as no intending candidate has so far made any intentions clear. Perhaps, they could be waiting for a cue from their ‘grand old man’ SC Jamir, but the District Congress Committee was not ready to make any concrete comment when this correspondent inquired about their game plan for the bye-election.
NPF’s candidate in the constituency during the last general elections, Toshipokba, is a member of the party’s CEC, who has applied for the party ticket to contest in the ensuing bye-election. Imtikümzük, the Independent candidate during the last election who later shifted his loyalty to the ruling NPF, is another intending candidate who has also applied for the party ticket. Both are reportedly expecting to win the party ticket as both have strong grass-root workers in their support. Further, while one is a member of the NPF CEC, it is reported that the other candidate has the ‘backing’ of Home Minister, Imkong L.Imchen. Imtikümzük also currently holds the office of the vice-president in the NPF Mokokchung Division.
But then again, there is another ‘active member’ of the NPF who submitted his letter of interest to the NPF Mokokchung Division office today. R.Lima Pongen, a veteran politician with a long history of political activism, is equally confident that he will win the party ticket. In fact, he is more vocal than the other two, and even said that “the NPF will certainly field a winning candidate,” assuming himself to be the one. He claims to have the support of the party in the constituency as well as the village elders of Ungma. He says there is no doubt in winning the bye-election if he is given the chance to contest as the NPF candidate. On being asked what his move would be if he is not awarded the party ticket, he said “It will be better to contest with the party ticket, but in the event of not being given the chance, public demand and the situation will give the call.”
Meanwhile, Mokokchung District Congress Committee President, Nungkum Jamir conveyed that none from their camp has applied for the Congress ticket to contest the bye-election. It is also learnt from reliable sources that SC Jamir, who was here in Mokokchung very recently, had met Ungma village elders on the matter. However, his village elders reportedly did not give him any semblance of a promise but rather told him that the ensuing bye-election will be contested by all political parties, and that the prospect of an ‘uncontested’ election is dim. There is also news doing the rounds that the late MLA Nungshizenba’s son could be a potential Congress candidate, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Arkong, Sangtemla, Marepkong and Dilong wards in Mokokchung town, and Kupza, Settsü, Aolijen and Ungma villages comprise the 26th Aonglenden Assembly Constituency.
Aonglenden has all along remained a Congress bastion and no other political party in recent history has made any significant inroad into the constituency. The only time a non-Congress party made some ripples was during the last assembly general elections when Nungshizenba met with some formidable contest. New entrant and independent candidate Imtikümzük as well as NPF’s Toshipokba rendered some stiff hurdles, though Congressman Nungshizenba eventually got through.
This time round, however, the NPF is seemingly confident, if not over confident, that they will win the Aonglenden seat as and when the bye-election is held. NPF Mokokchung Divisional workers today told this correspondent, in the side lines of one of their members applying for the party’s ticket to contest, that the seat is theirs to be taken. Moreover, the fact that the party in power often gets away with the prize during bye-elections is enough evidence to boost the morale of the NPF camp.
As of today, at least three intending candidates have already submitted letters to the NPF Mokokchung Division office expressing their interest and seeking for the party ticket. Though the party’s candidate is to be selected by the Central Executive Committee, each of the three is confident that he will win the ticket to contest in the bye-election. Meanwhile, the Congress camp is keeping their cool and there seems to be no sense of urgency as no intending candidate has so far made any intentions clear. Perhaps, they could be waiting for a cue from their ‘grand old man’ SC Jamir, but the District Congress Committee was not ready to make any concrete comment when this correspondent inquired about their game plan for the bye-election.
NPF’s candidate in the constituency during the last general elections, Toshipokba, is a member of the party’s CEC, who has applied for the party ticket to contest in the ensuing bye-election. Imtikümzük, the Independent candidate during the last election who later shifted his loyalty to the ruling NPF, is another intending candidate who has also applied for the party ticket. Both are reportedly expecting to win the party ticket as both have strong grass-root workers in their support. Further, while one is a member of the NPF CEC, it is reported that the other candidate has the ‘backing’ of Home Minister, Imkong L.Imchen. Imtikümzük also currently holds the office of the vice-president in the NPF Mokokchung Division.
But then again, there is another ‘active member’ of the NPF who submitted his letter of interest to the NPF Mokokchung Division office today. R.Lima Pongen, a veteran politician with a long history of political activism, is equally confident that he will win the party ticket. In fact, he is more vocal than the other two, and even said that “the NPF will certainly field a winning candidate,” assuming himself to be the one. He claims to have the support of the party in the constituency as well as the village elders of Ungma. He says there is no doubt in winning the bye-election if he is given the chance to contest as the NPF candidate. On being asked what his move would be if he is not awarded the party ticket, he said “It will be better to contest with the party ticket, but in the event of not being given the chance, public demand and the situation will give the call.”
Meanwhile, Mokokchung District Congress Committee President, Nungkum Jamir conveyed that none from their camp has applied for the Congress ticket to contest the bye-election. It is also learnt from reliable sources that SC Jamir, who was here in Mokokchung very recently, had met Ungma village elders on the matter. However, his village elders reportedly did not give him any semblance of a promise but rather told him that the ensuing bye-election will be contested by all political parties, and that the prospect of an ‘uncontested’ election is dim. There is also news doing the rounds that the late MLA Nungshizenba’s son could be a potential Congress candidate, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Arkong, Sangtemla, Marepkong and Dilong wards in Mokokchung town, and Kupza, Settsü, Aolijen and Ungma villages comprise the 26th Aonglenden Assembly Constituency.
