The ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) candidate Tokheho Yepthomi from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) drubbed Naga People’s Front’s (NPF) C Apok Jamir in the by-election to the lone Lok Sabha seat from Nagaland.
Yepthomi, who secured 5,94,205 votes, defeated Jamir (4,20,459) by a margin of 173,746 votes. Nearly 4,000 voters opted for none of the above (NOTA) option.
The PDA candidate had the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party and allies Janata Dal (United), National People’s Party (NPP) and an Independent MLA, while NPF’s Jamir had the backing of Congress.
Counting of votes for the by-election began Thursday at 8 am in 13 counting centres across the state. Over 75% of the state’s nearly 12 lakh eligible voters had cast their ballot on May 28.
Re-polling had taken place on Wednesday at one polling station in Kubza village in Mokokchung district after a mob damaged the EVM on May 28. Of the 640 voters in the station, 44.68% had cast their ballot again.
The seat had fallen vacant in February this year after present chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who was elected in 2014 on an NPF ticket, resigned from the seat and also the party ahead of assembly elections in the state three months ago.
{{/usCountry}}The seat had fallen vacant in February this year after present chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who was elected in 2014 on an NPF ticket, resigned from the seat and also the party ahead of assembly elections in the state three months ago.
{{/usCountry}}Rio joined the newly formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and contested the assembly polls. He won unopposed and the NDPP-BJP combine formed the PDA government.
In 2014, Rio had secured over 7.13 lakh votes defeating his Congress rival KV Pusa by a margin of over 4 lakh votes.