Rio may be Nagaland CM again

For the Congress, it was definitely a big disappointment, especially after it managed to dismiss the DAN Government on January 3 and got the elections held under President’s Rule.

“We would have got more seats if the UPA Government had not illegally dismissed our Government. The Congress also misused the government machinery apart from taking help of some underground elements. But despite such odds, the people have given their mandate in our favour,” Rio said in Kohima.

While Rio’s NPF alone has won 25 seats, two other partners of the DAN, the BJP and NCP, have won two seats each to take the alliance’s tally to 29. “We are sure to win at least two more seats out of the remaining three where counting will take place tomorrow,” a confident Rio said. Counting for three seats — Suruhuto, Satakha and Aghunato — will take place on Sunday because of repolling in 14 polling booths on Saturday.

For the NPF, it was a much better performance than what it had achieved in the 2003 elections, when it had won only 19 seats. Last time, however, it could form the Government because of the pre-election alliance DAN, whose other partners contributed towards mustering a majority of 34 seats. While the BJP last time had won seven seats, the JD(U) and Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM) contributed three and five seats, respectively.

The NPF win included a thumping victory for Rio at Northern Angamai-II LAC by 10,761 votes, while NPF president Shurhozelie defeated his nearest Congress candidate by a margin of 920 votes in Northern Angami-I. Former Home Minister Thenucho (NPF) lost to Chotisuh Sazo, an Independent candidate at Chazouba LAC by 1,352 votes.

On the Congress side, on the other hand, former CLP leader I Imkong won comfortably by a margin of 2,311 votes at Jangpetkong, but K Therie, who fought on a Congress ticket after having defected from the NPF, lost by 1,376 votes to Neiba Krono of the NPF at Pfutsero.