13 candidates stay unopposed for Mokokchung ULB elections

MOKOKCHUNG — Following the closure of the nomination process on June 11, as many as 13 candidates are running unopposed, with 89 aspirants having submitted their nominations for the 47 seats in the upcoming urban local body (ULB) elections across councils in Mokokchung district.

Out of the 89 aspirant candidates, 31 are female contenders. Of significance, two women have stepped up as contenders in the general category: one for the Mokokchung Municipal Council, representing Ward 9 and belonging to the Indian National Congress (INC) and the other for the Mangkolemba Town Council, Ward 9, belonging to the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

For the Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC) elections, a total of 35 candidates filed their nominations from the 18 wards. Four candidates belonging to the NDPP have remained unopposed.

For the Changtongya Town Council (CTC) elections, 22 candidates have filed their nominations for the 11 seats, with eight female candidates vying for the four reserved seats. Again, two candidates belonging to the NDPP have remained uncontested.

For the Tuli Town Council (TTC) elections, 12 candidates, including four female candidates for the three reserved seats, have filed their nominations for the nine available seats. Moreover, six candidates face no opposition: three from the Congress, three from the NDPP, and one from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

For the Mangkolemba Town Council (MTC) elections, 20 have filed nominations from the nine wards. Among them, seven are women. An independent candidate (Ward 6) has remained uncontested.

The scrutiny of nomination papers is scheduled for June 13, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 20. In the event of any necessity, re-polling will be conducted on June 28. The counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on June 29.

There will be 26 polling stations for MMC, 11 for CTC, 9 for TTC, and 9 for MTC.

As per the latest electoral roll, a collective of 40,273 voters will decide the fate of 76 candidates. The distribution of voters stands as follows: MMC (25,636 voters), Mangkolemba (2,803 voters), Changtongya (6,444 voters), and Tuli (5,390 voters).