NDPP nominee in Nagaland bypoll elected unopposed

Kohima, Oct 13 Nagaland's ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) candidate S. Keoshu Yimchunger has been elected unopposed in the Shamator-Chessore Assembly by-election, as he was the lone nominee in the tribal reserved seat, officials said on Wednesday.

Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer V. Shashank Shekhar said that Yimchunger, the official candidate of the NDPP, has been declared elected uncontested to fill the vacancy caused in the Nagaland Assembly by the demise of Toshi Wungtung.

Wednesday was the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

Yimchunger was the consensus nominee of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), an all-party coalition formed on September 18 to run an opposition-less government in Nagaland.

The by-election to the Assembly seat in Tuensang district was necessitated following the death of the sitting MLA on July 1 due to post-Covid complications.

In order to take forward the Naga peace process, all the ruling and opposition parties in Nagaland recently finalised to form an all-party UDA government headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

The BJP, which was an ally of the ruling NDPP, the opposition Naga People's Front (NPF) and two Independent MLAs are part of the UDA government.