DIMAPUR, Aug 3 - NPF president and former Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu won the Northern Angami-I Assembly by-poll defeating his only rival independent candidate Kekhrie Yhome by a margin of 3,470 votes. Liezietsu secured 8,036 votes while Yhome got 4,568 votes.
Counting of votes for the by-election conducted on July 29 was held at Kohima Deputy Commissioner�s office today. The total votes polled were 12,679.
According to the Returning Officer, Kohima, 72 votes were recorded under the None of the Above (NOTA) category.
Liezietsu thanked the people who supported him during the by-poll. This is for the 9th time that he was elected to the State Assembly since 1969.
The by-election was necessitated after Khriehu Liezietsu resigned from the seat on May 24 to pave way for his father Liezietsu to contest and enter the House.
Nagaland Governor PB Acharya dismissed Liezietsu�s NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland Government on July 19 after he failed to turn up for the floor test in the State Assembly. Internal crisis in NPF deepened after TR Zeiiang took over the reins of the State Government on July 19.
The 80-year-old Liezietsu on Wednesday suspended Zelinag-led NPF faction appointed interim president of the party Neiphiu Rio from both primary and active membership of the party with immediate effect for his �direct involvement in splitting the NPF legislators for furtherance of his hidden agenda�. The NPF suspended Rio for trying to topple Zeliang Government earlier but revoked his suspension recently after the party faced internal crisis again.
Earlier, Liezietsu-led NPF expelled 20 party legislators and suspended 10 others for violating the party�s whip not to vote in favour of Zelaing during the trial of strength on July 21.
