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KOHIMA — State Election Commissioner (SEC) T John Longkumer said that the urban local body (ULB) elections in Nagaland were successfully held with minimal incidents.
Addressing a press conference at the commissioner's office in Kohima following the vote counting on Saturday, he stated that prior to polling, the state police implemented preventive measures.
These actions, he said, led to the detention of 553 individuals statewide, including 300 from Dimapur. Notable recoveries included a weapon found in an abandoned vehicle (an auto-rickshaw) bearing the registration number AS12 K2934.
Longkumer maintained that polling was largely peaceful, with only a few minor issues. He noted that a repoll was conducted at polling station 4 in Ward 20 of Dimapur and mentioned an incident in Mokokchung for which a case has been registered based on a formal complaint by the Congress.
He also mentioned that the police registered 21 cases related to scuffles and incidents of intimidation, resulting in the arrest of 22 individuals.
The SEC commended the efforts of all stakeholders, including the civil administration, electoral staff, returning officers, observers, and Nagaland Police, who managed the entire process. He also thanked NGOs and other organisations for their appeals to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful election.
He congratulated Naga women as a whole and noted that a total of 198 women had filed nominations.
Police nodal officer for the SEC, Rankathung Vikram Ezung, expressed gratitude for the confidence placed in the police department, emphasising the significance of this election as it was conducted independently by the Nagaland Police.
Ezung congratulated all the winners and urged them to celebrate responsibly, reassuring that additional deployments would be made if necessary to ensure everyone’s safety.
Congratulating everyone involved in the 'historic' election, nodal officer for the SEC, L Jamithung Lotha, noted that this year's overall voting percentage surpassed that of the last state assembly and parliamentary elections.
Tsutsowe Kupa, the SEC's undersecretary, revealed that the candidates with the closest victories were Temjennungsang of Ward 8 (Changtongya) from the NDPP, who won by a single vote, and Kadielhi Mero, an independent candidate from Ward 6 (Pfutsero), who won by the same margin.
Nikali Sumi Chophi of the NPP from Ward 7 (Dimapur) emerged as the candidate with the largest winning margin, securing 1,515 votes, while her opponents received 947 and 326 votes.
The youngest female winner was Nzanrhoni I Mozhui, 22, of the BJP from Ward 1 (Bhandari), and the oldest was Sibeule, 71, of the NDPP from Ward 6 (Peren). The youngest male winner was Nathan Kent, 25, of the JDU from Ward 5 (Tseminyu). Seven women were elected in unreserved seats.
He said that a total of 109 male candidates and 67 female candidates have been elected. Out of 278 seats, 64 were won uncontested.