PM Modi among BJP star campaigners for Nagaland Lok Sabha polls

KOHIMA — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national chief JP Nadda are among the 15 names in the party’s list of star campaigners for the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Nagaland.

The list was submitted to the chief election commissioner by BJP national general secretary and headquarters in-charge, Arun Singh, on Tuesday.

In Nagaland, the BJP is part of the opposition-less People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which has set up Dr. Chumben Murry as the consensus candidate.

Other names in the list included Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, General Secretary (Org) BJP Manipur Abhay Kumar Giri, NEDA Convenor and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Cabinet Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, and Minister of Earth Sciences and Food Processing Industries, Kiren Rijiju.

BJP leaders from Nagaland included Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton; ministers Jacob Zhimomi, P Paiwang Konyak and Temjen Imna Along; Rajya Sabha MP S Phangnon Konyak; and Nagaland state BJP President Benjamin Yepthomi.

On March 23, the BJP central had announced its decision to extend support to NDPP in Nagaland for the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. Besides that, the party is also extending support NPP candidates in both the seats of Meghalaya (Shillong and Tura) and to NPF in the Outer Manipur Constituency.

PDA candidate Murry filed his nomination papers before the Commissioner Nagaland and Returning Officer, Sushil Kumar Patel on March 26. Upon filing the papers, he exuded confidence in winning the majority in the upcoming Parliamentary election.

Two other candidates — Indian National Congress’ S Supongmeren Jamir and Independent candidate Hayithung Bill Lotha have also filed their nominations.

Elections to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland will be held on April 19 and the votes will be counted on June 4.

Also read: PDA kicks off Lok Sabha election campaign for Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha seat