Bye-poll: Nagaland BJP leaders say Yhokha has PDA mandate

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 25 (EMN): Top leaders from the Nagaland state unit of BJP spearheaded an election campaign for the PDA’s consensus candidate Medo Yhokha, who is contesting on NDPP ticket for the vacant seat of 14-Southern Angami-I assembly constituency, on Sunday evening.

Mmhonlumo Kikon, Advisor in the Nagaland government and one of the BJP’s national spokespersons, called upon the electorates of Kitsubozou to support Yhokha.

Kitsubozou (ward 5) is the only colony in Kohima town which falls under 14-Southern Angami-I A/C.

Kikon maintained that Yhokha, who had emerged from heading various students’ unions to ‘diligently work’ with Vikho-o Yhoshü, the former Speaker whose passing had necessitated the bye-poll, has the leadership qualities required of a legislator.

He said that the core purpose of participating in the election is to bring tranquillity and peace to Nagaland.

Kikon asked the residents to vote in favour of Yhokha ‘who will strengthen the hands of the chief minister of Nagaland, the peace maker’.

“Peace process is the most important concern for us, that’s why we are contesting in the election,” he said.

The advisor maintained that BJP and NDPP have formed a pre-poll alliance ‘to achieve peace and bring development under the leadership of chief minister Neiphiu Rio who is fully trusted by the prime minister and the union home minister’.

He stated that BJP respect the wisdom of the chief minister in allotting the party ticket to Yhokha, ‘a polite person who understand public grievances and has a vast network of friends’.

Cabinet minister and president of Nagaland state BJP unit Temjen Imna Along stated that it has already been two years, eight months and 17 days since PDA had formed the government in Nagaland.

Therefore, he reminded the constituency electorates that supporting Yhokha is not only limited to 14-Southern Angami-I but the whole Nagas at large.

He maintained that Rio was chosen as the chief minister with the “democracy of the Angamis”, and reminded that Yhokha has the “mandate of the PDA government”.

Along reminded the electorates that they are “powerful” and that they should not vote with their “emotions or feelings but with their intellectual mind”.

He asked the people to vote for stability. “He (Yhokha) will serve you. So elect the right person for the right mandate, for the right governance,” the minister said.

Yhokha, while speaking on the occasion, acknowledged the residents of Kitsubozou ‘because of whom he got the party ticket through their love, prayers and trust’.

He said that the “party ticket” doesn’t belong to him alone but to Kitsubozou along with the rest of the villages under 14-Southern Angami-I A/C. As such, he appealed to the electorates to help him fulfil the incomplete works of Yhoshü.