Dr. Lorho S Pfoze to challenge High Court verdict on Lok Sabha election result

Our Correspondent

Kohima, Sep. 24 (EMN): Dr. Lorho S Pfoze of Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Saturday said that he would challenge the verdict of Manipur High Court that set aside his election to the Lok Sabha from Outer Manipur in 2019 over alleged error in his nomination paper.

A single bench of the Manipur High Court on Friday set aside Pfoze’s election as null and void, while declaring H Shokhopao Mate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the new MP from Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency.

After a series of hearings on election petition filed by H Shokhopao Mate under Section 100(1) (d) (i) & (iv) and Section 100 (1) (b) of the Representation of People (RP) Act, 1951, Justice M V Muralidaran passed the verdict in favour of the petitioner on Friday.

However, Pfoze told Eastern Mirror over the phone that they would fight against the ruling in the court.

“We will challenge the order of the court and we will see how it goes,” Pfoze told this newspaper on Saturday.

“We should overcome (the issue),” he added without divulging much into.

Meanwhile, NPF President Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu told this newspaper that the party would discuss the court verdict soon and take a decision, when asked if it would take up the matter with the court.

However, he said that there were “chances for appeal (in the court)”.

“I am yet to contact them because I am in Delhi now. But there are chances for appeal. We will discuss and see,” he added.

It may be recalled that Pfoze won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Outer Manipur (ST) Parliamentary Constituency by defeating his nearest rival Mate from BJP by a margin of 73,782 votes.

However, Mate later filed a petition alleging that there were several defects and discrepancies in Pfoze’s affidavit in Form 26 and that the Returning Officer accepted his nomination paper without proper scrutiny. He also leveled several other allegations, including financial matters against the NPF candidate.

More than three years after the election results were declared, during which Pfoze served as the MP representing Outer Manipur constituency, the Manipur High Court pronounced his election as null and void.