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DIMAPUR — Nagaland's senior most legislator and Advisor of Social Welfare, Noke Wangnao passed away on Monday morning in Dimapur.
He was 87 and is survived by his wife, four daughters, two sons and grandchildren.
He died at Christian Institute of Health Sciences and Research, Dimapur after suffering from a cardiac arrest.
Popularly called "Papa Noke" by his community, Wangnao was elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly nine times from the 43 Tapi Assembly Constituency under Mon district.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]He won the assembly elections in 1974, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989, 2003, 2013, 2018, and 2023.
Wangnao served as an assistant teacher in Mon district before foraying into politics and won the NLA election in 1974 as a UDF party candidate. He also won the election held earlier this year on NDPP ticket.
The send off service for the legislator will be held in Dimapur at 12 noon before the mortal remains are taken to his native place in Mon district.
The nine-time elected senior politician started his political career in 1974 by contesting the 3rd Nagaland Legislative Assembly poll on the United Democratic Front (UDF) ticket and won the election from 43 Tapi Assembly Constituency.
He was re-elected to the 4th NLA from the Naga National Democratic Party (NNDP) and was given the Minister of state for PWD, Forest and Social Welfare portfolio, before being elevated to the cabinet from April 18 1978 to April 17 1980 with an additional portfolio of Art and Culture, and Cooperative.
Noke was re-elected to the assembly in 1982 and 1987 on NNDP ticket, before winning the election to the 7th NLA as well on the Nagaland People's Council (NPC) party ticket in 1989 and went on to become the Minister for Works and Housing.
However, he lost the election in 1993 (8th NLA). He bounced back in 2003 by winning on Naga People's Front (NPF) ticket, which was earlier known as NPC.
He lost the 2008 election but went on to win in 2013 from the same party (NPF) and was appointed as the Minister for PHED. He went on to win the election to the 13th NLA in 2018 on the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), and again in the assembly election held this year.
He was serving as Advisor of Social Welfare when he passed away on Monday.
During his 49-year political career, Wangnao contested 12 times in a row to the state assembly and won nine of them, in 1974, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1989, 2003, 2013, 2018, and 2023.