Nagaland: BJP-NDPP Alliance Emerges Victorious by Winning 37 Seats

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) swept the assembly elections in Nagaland by winning a total of 37 seats in the 60-member assembly.

According to Election Commission of India (ECI) data, BJP won 12 seats while NDPP won 25 seats. Congress bagged 7 seats. The Republican Party of India (Athawale) got 2 seats, NPP won 5 seats, Janata Dal (United) won 1 seat and independent won 4 seats.

The newbie Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), which contested at 15 assembly constituencies this year, also managed to open their account by securing 2 seats. The Naga Peoples Front (NPF) has also won 2 seats.

Nagaland CM and NDPP chief Neiphiu Rio won from the Northern Angami-II seat, defeating Congress leader Seyievilie Sachu. Rio secured 15,646 votes against his rival's paltry total of 1,078 votes.

He bagged a total of 17,045 votes, which comes to 92.87 per cent of the total votes polled in the seat. Meanwhile, Rio is set to assume office as chief minister for a fifth consecutive term after a convincing win for NDPP and its ally, BJP.

Nagaland BJP chief Temjen Imna Along won the assembly elections from Alongtaki constituency. Along defeated Janata Dal (United) candidate J Lanu Longchar by a margin of 3,748 votes. He bagged a total of 9,274 votes with a vote share of 62.5 per cent.

Nagaland also scripted history by electing two women MLAs for the first time ever. The two elected women candidates are Hekani Jakhalu and Salhoutuonuo Kruse of the NDPP.

Hekhani Jakhalu, the NDPP candidate from the Dimapur III defeated Lok Janshakti Party’s Azheto Zhimomi of the (Ram Vilas) by a margin of 1,536 votes, the Election Commission of India (ECI), said. Jakhalu secured 14,395 votes, bagging 45.16 per cent of the total votes polled in the seat. On the other hand, Salhoutuonuo Kruse won from the Western Angami seat.

This is the first instance of women candidates winning in Nagaland since the state attained statehood 60 years ago.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Nagaland and said that the double-engine government will keep working for the state's progress.

Taking to twitter, he wrote, “I thank the people of Nagaland for blessing the @NDPPofficial-@BJP4Nagaland alliance with yet another mandate to serve the state. The double engine government will keep working for the state's progress. I laud our party workers for their hardwork which ensured this result.”

I thank the people of Nagaland for blessing the @NDPPofficial-@BJP4Nagaland alliance with yet another mandate to serve the state. The double engine government will keep working for the state's progress. I laud our party workers for their hardwork which ensured this result.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 2, 2023

Also Read: History Created in Nagaland! 2 Women MLAs Elected for First Time