Says berth will be decided by Modi
Principal Correspondent
Kohima, May 16
Ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today emerged victorious to represent Nagas as the lone Member of Lok Sabha.
Rio polled 7,13,372 votes to defeat his nearest Congress rival KV Pusa by 4,00,225 votes. Pusa polled 3,13,147 votes.
A total of 10,38,914 votes were polled out of the 11,82,948 voters, including 5,376 service voters.
Akhei Achumi of Social Party (India) polled 9695 votes while NOTA being used for first time in the state had 2696 votes.
Another 189 votes were rejected, announced Returning Officer for Nagaland parliamentary polls Temjen Toy.Declaration of result in Nagaland was delayed as two EVMs were defunct and the data could not be retrieved. The Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL), manufacturers of EVMs, tried to mend the EVMs at Mokokchung and Zunheboto, but to no avail. Subsequently, sources in RO’s office said the matter was reported to the ECI but since the winning margin was much higher than the votes polled in the two polling stations, the result was declared.
This is the third straight win for ruling Naga People’s Front in LS polls. it had also won the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections in the State.
In 2009, NPF candidate CM Chang won against Congress’ K Asungba Sangtam by a margin of 4.83 lakh votes, setting the highest record margin in the country.
Meanwhile, hurriedly talking to media persons after receiving the winning certificate from the RO in presence of Observers deputed by Election Commission here this evening, the newly elected proud Naga MP Rio expressed happiness that the people of the State had reposed faith in him.
Though the margin is less compared to the 2009 polls by 82,778, where NPF candidate CM Chang had won by 4,83,003 lakhs, he said, “margin does not matter as I will be going to Delhi to serve the Nagas in a bigger way and also the nation in general”.
NPF being a prepoll alliance partner of BJP, Rio said, “I have spoken to Modiji in the afternoon, and he had conveyed his congratulations for the landslide victory and about portfolio I will be going to Delhi tomorrow and we will work-out what is to be done.”
On the downfall of North East Regional Political Front (NERPF) as it had won only two seats out of the 25 in the North East, Rio said, “We have made a good beginning and hope to do better in future.”
Asked whether the BJP-led NDA would grant cabinet portfolios to both the winners of NERPF, which had also declared to support NDA, Rio said “all depends on the leader”.
On the defeat of NPF candidate Soso Lorho in Outer Manipur seat by over 15000 votes, an apparently disappointed Rio attributed it to “the divided votes of the Naga people”.
On Arunachal Pradesh state assembly polls where NPF had fielded 11 candidates but failed to retain even a single, he alleged that the NPF leaders from Nagaland were not allowed to campaign properly in the state. He lamented that even his chopper was not permitted to land because of which the campaign could not penetrate. Nevertheless, he was optimistic saying that “I have stepped my foot in the state and would perform better in future elections”.
Meanwhile, Nagaland Congress president SI Jamir in an interview with media persons yesterday said “we cannot expect good result on our part.
“Since it was not an election in its true sense, but only a money game, so we cannot expect to win,” he said.
Further, Congress candidate KV Pusa accepting the defeat congratulated Rio for winning the Lok Sabha seat while also expressing the hope that he (Rio) will deliver goods to the people of the State who have been neglected for more than a decade.
“The Congress party will never let our people down but would continue to fight the communal forces and in the interest of people of the state,” Pusa added.
