Nagaland may see two-cornered contest in the upcoming elections to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state. BJP has nominated S Phangnon Konyak while NPF will put up Thenucho as its candidate.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Saturday said that BJP’s nominee, S Phangnon Konyak, being a woman in the first place is the right candidate for the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat.
Rio said Phangnon was selected from among more than 10 applicants to be a consensus candidate. According to an official bulletin, Rio was addressing media persons on the sidelines of the first day of the NLA Budget session on Saturday.
Rio said just the other day an agreement was reached on women’s reservation in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and now a woman is being selected for the Rajya Sabha. This, he said, the people of the state are having a lot of respect and updating themselves.
On being asked if any special arrangements were made to nominate a BJP candidate for the seat, Rio remarked that it is a matter of inner politics and his party has respect for the alliance. S Phangnon Konyak is the incumbent state BJP’s Mahila Morcha president.
Humbled and honoured by your wish Ma'am, Thank you. Grateful that @BJP4India has given this opportunity to an ordinary Karyakarta & paved way for women empowerment. @VanathiBJP @BJPMahilaMorcha @MahilaMNagaland https://t.co/aG6J8dbV6l
— Phangnon Konyak (@phangnon) March 19, 2022
Meanwhile, the Naga People’s Front (NPF) president Shiirhozelie Liezietsu has requested NPF legislature party leader TR Zeliang to entrust the required number of MLAs to sign the nomination paper of Thenucho Tunyi as an NPF candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat.
In an official party communique addressed to TR Zeliang, Shiirhozelie said Thenucho Tunyi, one of the working presidents of NPF has come forward to contest as an NPF candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat if no candidate comes forward from the party’s Legislature Group.
The NPF president said that as per rule, Thenucho’s candidature has to be nominated by the NPF MLAs and that the required number of MLAs should sign the nomination paper on Monday morning so as to enable the party’s nominee to file his nomination in time. The last date of filing nomination is March 21, 3 pm.