Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, MARCH 4
The ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) today issued the party ticket for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha polls to its consensus candidate, KG Kenye, at a ‘ticket distribution ceremony’ held in the NPF Central Office, Kohima. The election to the state’s lone seat in the Upper House of the Parliament is scheduled for March 21.
NPF president, Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu officially handed over the party ticket to Kenye after administering the oath in the presence of Chief Minister TR Zeliang and a house full of party functionaries.
According to the NPF president, altogether 11 aspiring candidates had applied for the party ticket and all the applications were forwarded to the Central Working Committee (CWC) without short-listing anyone. He said that all the aspirants, who are “pillars of the party”, had expressed willingness to serve the party and the Naga people. Following thorough assessment, the committee took a consensus decision to support KG Kenye for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, he said.
“We believe Mr. KG Kenye will be able to present the real image of Nagaland in the Parliament. It is not that the past members of Rajya Sabha from the state did not perform well, they all did very well, but we expect a little more from him (Kenye) as he is a veteran leader and he knows thoroughly the history of the Party and the history of the Naga political issue too,” Liezietsu said.
He congratulated Kenye while subtly reminding him that the party expects “great things” from him, and also lauded the members of the CWC for applying their minds in making a wise decision in choosing a capable candidate.
During the occasion, Liezietsu also acknowledged late Khekiho Zhimomi, MP Rajya Sabha who passed away while still holding office last year. He said it was unfortunate for the party to have lost a veteran leader, and went on to recall that he had played a vital role during the party’s internal crisis in bringing about understanding amongst party members.
Chief Minister TR Zeliang, in his address, termed it a great day for the NPF-led DAN government to step into a new era. He said all the 11 aspiring candidates were “heavyweight and capable leaders” and the CWC members shared their thoughts and opinions openly and concluded with a consensus decision on the candidature of Kenye.
He expressed gratitude that this was accepted by the party members by cooperating with the decision of the highest body (CWC) in the party without any tussle between groups. Zeliang hoped that under the leadership of the president, this trend as well as the magnanimity will continue within the party organization even in future.
He mentioned that the DAN coalition partner, BJP had also aspired that the chance be given to it this time and the same was intimated to him and NPF president. If there were two seats, then we could have made arrangements to share but since there is just a single seat, we have to take decision from the highest level of the party and the Chief Minister or the president alone cannot decide, Zeliang said.
He said right after the CWC meeting, the president convened a DAN Coordination meeting and “we were given to understand” that BJP had endorsed in principle to endorse the candidature selected by the NPF. He also expressed hope that the 8 independent MLAs will also cooperate and support the decision taken by NPF working committee, and the party candidate will be uncontested.
While extending his best wishes to KG Kenye, he said the Naga people’s expectation towards solution to Naga political issue is high and hoped that Kenye will be able to carry out the mission that Naga people expect from the DAN government and represent the Nagas in a higher level.
In his acceptance speech, Kenye acknowledged the leaders of the NPF party for being thoughtful and considerate by deciding to accommodate a party worker, and not an elected member. This understanding and encouraging move will go a long way in touching the hearts of party members at all levels, he stated. He thanked the party leaders for their consideration and acknowledging his service to the party, and added that he may fall below the people’s expectations but will give his best and will always be at their service.
After the NPF party ticket was presented to the selected candidate, CBCMH Kohima senior pastor, Rev.Dr. Vevo Phesao pronounced a prayer of blessing for the candidate.
