Nagaland elections: BJP MLA wins unopposed after Congress candidate pulls out of race

Sources in the Congress said Sumi had just joined the party in the run-up to candidates filing their nominations.

“He was an RJD youth chief and had come forward to us expressing his wish to contest from the constituency. He was a young candidate from Dimapur, so an outsider candidate but from the Sema tribe which has a hold on the constituency. We were not fielding anyone from that seat anyway so we went ahead with him so it’s no great loss to us. What the external factors are that influenced him to withdraw his nomination, we don’t know,” said Ranajit Mukherjee, All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary in charge of Nagaland.

In a statement, Kinima said the circumstances of his victory indicate the “mood of the people” towards the BJP-Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) alliance.

“My last tenure has seen tremendous growth and progress in my constituency and, I assure to continue to work with renewed vigour and give my best to uplift my people. I shall continue to campaign for the victory of the NDPP-BJP alliance which, I am sure, will return to power again with an absolute majority. My victory is just a glimpse of the mood of the people in Nagaland towards the NDPP-BJP alliance,” he stated.

This is not the first time a candidate has won unopposed in the Nagaland Assembly elections. In 2018, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio won unopposed when the only other candidate in the Northern Angami II constituency, Chupfuo Angami of the NPF, withdrew his nomination on the last day.

The history of unopposed elections in Nagaland runs deeper. In 1998, the last time the Congress formed a government in the state, Congress candidates won unopposed in 43 of the 60 constituencies in the backdrop of an election boycott call by rebel group NSCN (IM).

With the completion of the nomination and withdrawal process, 183 candidates, excluding Kimini, will be in the fray. While 225 candidates filed their nominations, election authorities rejected the papers submitted by 25 and 16 withdrew their nominations. The party-wise break-up of candidates is: 40 from the NDPP, 20 from the BJP, one from the Communist Party of India (CPI), 23 from the Congress, 12 from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), 12 from the NPP, 22 from the NPF, one from the Rising People’s Party (RPP), seven from the Janata Dal (United), 15 from the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), nine from the Republican Party of India (Athawale), three from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and 19 Independents.