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Quadrangular contest in Nagaland LS polls

By Correspondent

DIMAPUR, March 25 - With Hayithung Tungoe of National People�s Party (NNP) and Dr MM Thromwa Konyak of Indian Christian Secular Party filing nominations on the last day of filing of nominations for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland on Monday, the parliamentary elections in the State will witness a four-cornered contest.

The other two candidates who filed nominations for the April 11 poll in the State are ruling People�s Democratic Alliance�s (PDA) consensus candidate from Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and sitting Lok Sabha MP Tokheho Yepthomi and Congress�s KL Chishi.

The nomination papers and other documents of the candidates were duly scrutinised and verified by Nagaland Commissioner and Returning Officer M Patton, in the presence of Election Commission�s general observer Ravi Jha, an official release said. The Opposition Naga People�s Front has not put up any candidate for the Lok Sabha poll but is likely to support the Congress candidate.

According to Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee president K Therie, the Congress sought NPF�s support for the Lok Sabha polls but the party is yet to make any official declaration. According to reports, the Congress made the appeal to the NPF as the two parties share common ground on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the Indo-Naga political issue.

�They (NPF) have agreed in principle on the issues but have not given a declaration officially on how to go about in terms of supporting the (Congress) candidate,� Therie said.

The by-election to Aonglengden Assembly constituency too will witness a four-cornered contest.

The NDPP has fielded Sharingain Longkumer, Congress has put up Alemjongshi Longkumer, NPF Toshipokba Longkumer and NPP O Tinujungshi Longkumer for the bypoll, which will also be held on April 11.

Interestingly, all the four candidates for the bypoll are from Ungma village in Mokokchung district. NPP State president Ato Yepthomi said the party had �sacrificed� two of its legislators for the by-election and is ready to use all its resources for victory of its candidates. The two NNP MLAs Imnatiba and L Khumo quit NPP and joined the ruling NDPP. Meanwhile, the State unit of BJP has resolved to work wholeheartedly for the success of the PDA consensus candidates � Tokheho Yepthomi for Lok Sabha and Sharingain Longkumer for the byelection to Aonglenden Assembly constituency.

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