KOHIMA, Oct 16 ? Opposition Congress today retained two Assembly seats and lost one to Nagaland People?s Front (NPF), a major partner of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), in the bye-elections to three Assembly segments of the state held on October 13, reports PTI. With this, Congress? tally stands at 17 and NPF 35 in the 60-member Assembly.
Congress candidate and former Rajya Sabha member Apok Jamir defeated Alempokba of NPF by 3,967 votes in a straight contest to retain the prestigious Aonglenden constituency in Mokokchung district. Congress won this seat for the sixth time in a row, official sources here said. In Tehok of Mon district, Shaboh Konyak of Congress defeated his nearest rival C L John of NPF by 182 votes in a five-cornered contest where the BJP was also in the fray.
However, Congress was defeated in Tenning constituency of Peren district by NPF. NPF nominee Tarie Zeliang defeated Congress? Wizabo by 2,410 votes in a four-cornered contest. BJP was in the fray in this seat also. Both Tehok and Tenning were won by Congress in the last Assembly elections but the MLAs of these seats later joined NPF after DAN came to power.
By-elections to three seats were necessitated after appointment of S C Jamir (Aonglenden) as Goa Governor and election of Wangyuh Konyak (Tehok) and T R Zeliang (Tenning) as members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively.
Moral defeat for DAN: Meanwhile, a jubilant Congress today termed the results of the by-polls as a ?moral defeat? for the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Neiphu Rio.
Asserting that the verdict was on expected lines, Pradesh Congress president Hokheto Sumi told newsmen that the results to the by-polls ?reflected people?s unhappiness over the non-performance of the DAN government? which had promised peace and development before coming to power 20 months back. ?The people are fed up with the deteriorating law-and-order situation, corruption, nepotism and favouritism at all levels indulged in by the alliance government in the state,? the NPCC president alleged.