Nagaland is looking to elect its second woman parliamentarian after a gap of 45 years, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee S Phangnon Konyak, 44, emerging as the front runner for the state’s lone seat in the March 31 Rajya Sabha election. It was way back in 1977 when Rano M Shaiza was elected to the Lok Sabha from Nagaland.
Four decades later, Konyak’s name figured in the saffron party’s list of candidates for four states, including Nagaland, which was released on Friday. With BJP being a ruling partner of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party led government in the state, Konyak’s victory is almost assured. The development is significant is Nagaland is yet to elect a woman MLA even after 58 years of statehood.
Chief minister Neiphiu Rio lauded Konyak and expressed that her selection is a big step. There have been speculation that since the BJP nominee belongs to the Konyak tribe, the move could be an attempt to placate the community, 14 members of which were killed by security personnel in December last year in a botched military operation in Nagaland’s Mon district.
However, Rio said that was not a point of consideration as Konyak is the state BJP women’s president and was a suitable candidate in her own right.
{{/usCountry}}However, Rio said that was not a point of consideration as Konyak is the state BJP women’s president and was a suitable candidate in her own right.
{{/usCountry}}There had been more than 10 applicants seeking approval for candidature and Konyak’s name was shortlisted as “we feel she is the right person,” the chief minister said.
While Konyak is yet to be officially acknowledged as the consensus candidate of the opposition-less assembly, United Democratic Alliance (UDA), leaders of ally Naga People’s Front (NPF) have said they wanted to set up a party candidate.
Rio’s NDPP and the BJP had a seat-sharing agreement prior to the 2018 state assembly election, and based on that agreement, it was understood that since the NDPP fielded its candidate for Lok Sabha in 2019 whom BJP supported, now the BJP will contest the Rajya Sabha seat and NDPP will reciprocate support.
Although the NPF is part of UDA, the party is not bound by “earlier agreements” between the NDPP and the BJP, NPF secretary general Achumbemo Kikon said.
“We maintain a separate identity as a party even though we are in an opposition-less government. We have several senior party members who are interested to contest, and even if we set up a candidate, we are not breaking any agreement. We are only exercising the right to contest in an election as a separate political party,” Kikon said.
NPF legislature party leader and UDA chairman TR Zeliang was more subtle. He told HT that NPF legislators have deliberated on the issue and have agreed there should not be a contest but a consensus since the NPF, NDPP and BJP have all come under one umbrella — an opposition-less UDA.
The final call is expected to be made at a meeting between NPF legislators and party leaders on Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, Konyak said the BJP has always been a party with a special focus on women’s empowerment and she was grateful to the leadership for choosing her as the party’s nominee.
She, however, refused to comment further when she was yet to file nomination papers. March 21 is the last date of filing nominations, while scrutiny of nomination papers will be taken up on March 22.
Voting for 13 Rajya Sabha seats, including one from Nagaland, is scheduled to be held on March 31. the counting of votes will dbe done on the same day.