Nagaland: Old rivals resume battle for Pungro-Kiphire seat

Our Correspondent/Reporter

Kohima/Dimapur, Oct. 13 (EMN): Two of the country’s oldest political rivals, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have confirmed their participation in the battle for the vacant seat of 60-Pungro-Kiphire assembly constituency in Nagaland.

On Tuesday, the BJP announced 43-year-old Lirimong Sangtam as its candidate for the 60-Pungro-Kiphire assembly constituency.

The central election commission of BJP released a list of candidates for the ensuing bye-elections across various constituencies in the country, including Nagaland.

Sources from the Nagaland state unit of BJP confirmed the announcement to Eastern Mirror.

Sangtam, who hails from Sinrep village in Kiphire district, is an active member of the party, according to the source. Bye-poll to the 60-Pungro-Kiphire assembly constituency has been necessitated following the demise of NPF legislator T Torechu, who passed away on December 16, 2019.

The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) on Tuesday announced Khaseo Anar as its candidate for the bye-election to 60-Pungro-Kiphire assembly constituency.

The party will, however, not contest in the bye-election to 14-Southern Angami-I assembly constituency.

Anar is the president of Kiphire District Congress Committee.

Speaking at the ticket distribution function held in Dimapur, the president of NPCC, K Therie, informed that in an attempt to keep a united front, he had written to the president of Naga People’s Front (NPF) to confirm whether the latter will field a candidate for the Pungro-Kiphire seat.

“If NPF had a candidate, the Congress would have supported but NPF did not identify a candidate as yet therefore we decided to contest this bye-election,” informed Therie.

He admitted that the bye-election ‘is one of the most difficult’ battles as it would be up against the might of the ruling government, both in the state and the Centre. Therie, however, expressed confidence that Anar would be able to lead the Congress to victory as he has been a faithful Congress worker and believes in the party ideologies.

According to the NPCC chief, this bye-election is important as the ‘people of Nagaland need to send a strong message to the Centre and to the world that they do not accept Hindutva, policy of religious divide’.

“Their intent is to submerge Christianity to Hinduism,” maintained Therie, adding that ‘if we don’t protect ourselves it is not wrong for them to finish us’.

Referring to the Hathras case, Therie slammed the BJP’s handling of the incident and said that women have no place under BJP rule.

“Do you think we will allow those types of people? We must defend our women and we cannot concede to their type of ideologies,” said Therie.

Anar, in a brief address, asserted that he would fight till the end with the party.