Nagaland: Sharingain Longkumer wins by-election to Aonglenden AC

Kohima: Sharingain Longkumer, the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance’s (PDA) consensus candidate from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), has clinched the Aonglenden assembly by-election in Nagaland, the results of which were declared on Thursday.

Longkumer bagged a healthy vote count of 8,607 votes out of the total valid count of 11,014 votes. Congress candidate Alemjongshi Lomgkumer could bag only 2,362 votes.

The results were declared by the Mokokchung Returning Officer (RO) which was later confirmed through the Election Commission of India (ECI). With Longkumer’s victory, the NDPP now has 18 lawmakers in the 60-member Nagaland legislative assembly.

Also Read: Nagaland LIVE | Lok Sabha election results 2019

The Aonglenden Assembly constituency under Mokokchung district was officially declared vacant with effect from September 23 last year due to the demise of Imtikumzuk.

Earlier, O Tinu Longkumer, the brother of the deceased MLA, filed nominations to the Aonglenden constituency on a National People’s party (NPP) ticket after he was denied an NDPP ticket. However, through a press statement dated March 26, Tinu withdrew his candidature in support of PDA’s consensus candidate.

Naga People’s Front (NPF), the opposition party and the single largest party in the state, filed Toshipokba Longkumer as its candidate to the by-election. Later, Toshipokba also withdrew his candidature on March 28 in support of the PDA candidate.

Meanwhile, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio in took to Twitter to congratulate Longkumer. “Congratulations to Sharingain Longkumer, consensus candidate of the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party on winning the 26 Aonglenden A/C by-election. Thank you voters of the Aonglenden for reposing your faith on the PDA Government”.