Nagaland bye-election 2023: NDPP nominates Wangpang Konyak as candidate

DIMAPUR — The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has officially nominated 39-year-old Wangpang Konyak as its candidate for the upcoming bye-election in the 43-Tapi Assembly Constituency in Nagaland’s Mon district.

The party ticket was handed over to the candidate at the NDPP headquarters in Chümoukedima on Tuesday.

It came just days after the Election Commission of India announced that the bye-election for Tapi A/C will be held on November 7 before the votes are counted on December 3.

The seat was left vacant after the advisor of Social Welfare, Noke Wangnao of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) passed away on August 28, just months after winning the assembly election for the ninth time from the same constituency this year.

Speaking during the party ticket distribution ceremony, Chingwang Konyak, President of NDPP and Chairman of PDA, said that Wangpang was selected after a thorough assessment. He also expressed his appreciation for Giehwang Konyak, the JDU candidate for the 43-Tapi constituency in the previous assembly election, for extending support to the NDPP candidate in the bye-election.

The NDPP president emphasised that the ruling party candidates have a better chance of winning the bye-election compared to general elections while calling on the current MLAs and advisors to stand behind and support the candidate, particularly those who hold important portfolios in the government.

Addressing the gathering after being officially named the NDPP candidate for the upcoming bye-election, Wangpang said that he was a regular voter just a day ago, but is the party’s official candidate now.

He expressed his gratitude to the NDPP for placing trust in him and highlighted his close association with the late Noke Wangnao over the past 15 years.

Wangpang attended high school at Don Bosco, Mon, and graduated from St. Edmund’s College in Shillong, Meghalaya, before doing a master’s degree in Political Science from NEHU. He had served as the personal assistant to the late legislator, Wangnao, and also worked as a superintendent in the Directorate of New and Renewable Energy department.

The NDPP candidate emphasised that his association with the late Wangnao instilled in him the values of integrity and faithfulness toward the regional party; and that the party’s commitment to inclusiveness and meritocracy had drawn him towards it.

Maintaining that the late Wangnao had undertaken numerous initiatives for the people, particularly for the Konyaks, for several years, he pledged to carry his legacy forward for the betterment of the party and the 43-Tapi constituency.

He outlined his post-election priorities, focusing on promoting development, inclusiveness, and meritocracy, which are fundamental principles of the NDPP. He also underscored the crucial role these principles played in his selection as the candidate for the 43-Tapi bye-election.

During the occasion, Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, and Village Guards, C. L. John, encouraged the party members to extend their support for the candidate through prayers and moral encouragement, though it might not be possible for all the members to be physically present in the bye-election.

He added that following the untimely demise of the late Wangnao, the people, with unwavering faith, have chosen Wangpang to represent the party in the upcoming bye-election.

He also urged all the party workers to extend their full support to ensure the NDPP retains the vacant seat.

It may be mentioned that the Indian National Congress had announced Wanglem Konyak as its candidate for the Tapi bye-election.

The announcement came close on the heels of Wanglem officially joining the Congress party. He had contested the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly election on the Naga People’s Front (NPF) ticket and lost to Wangnao by a close margin of 82 votes.

To date, only NDPP and Congress have announced candidates for the bye-election. The former will try to retain the seat it had won earlier this year, while the latter will look forward to opening its account in the NLA and set the momentum ahead of next year’s crucial Lok Sabha election.

The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has hinted its intent to field a candidate for the by-poll but is yet to confirm, while other political parties like the National People’s Party, Rising People’s Party and NPF had earlier told this newspaper that they were undecided on their participation. Meanwhile, the BJP, which is an ally of NDPP in the incumbent state government, had said that it won’t contest the upcoming bye-election.

The nomination to the Tapi bye-election will be open till October 20 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 23, before the polling is held on November 7.

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