Once the face of Congress resilience in the Northeast, former Nagaland chief minister SC Jamir, 79, losing his pet Aonglenden assembly seat to the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate Toshikopba Longkumer by 1,325 votes.
By-poll for Aonglenden in Mokokchung district was necessitated by the death of Congress legislator Nungshizenba Longkumer earlier this year. The by-election held on May 7 saw a high 88% turnout.
Jamir, Nagaland’s longest serving chief minister, had never lost Aonglenden before. He had stayed away from electoral politics to be the governor of Goa and Maharashtra. This election was his bid to stage a comeback.
“This could be the end of the road for Jamir,” said a senior Nagaland PCC leader. “The Congress needs to move out of his shadow to be the force it was in Nagaland.”
The rebel National Socialist Council of Nagaland, on truce mode since July 1997, is said to have worked overtime to ensure Jamir’s defeat. Jamir has been the staunchest critic of the outfit and had been attacked several times in the past.