Congress Likely to go for Alliance with Naga Peoples' Front in Nagaland

Guwahati: At the time when the Election Commission has announced the poll dates of the states, Nagaland is set to go to the polls on April 11 and the political scenario in the state throws up two alliances ahead of the polls- the ruling PDA and the other and a possible understanding between the opposition Naga Peoples' Front ( NPF) and the recently rejuvenated Congress.

Tokheho Yepthomi, the current sitting Lok Sabha MP belongs from the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and a consensus candidate of Peoples' Democratic Alliance (PDA). Tokheho is likely to remain as the lone contender as the unanimous candidate of the PDA and won the Lok Sabha by-poll in May 2018 over the NPF candidate C. Apok Jamir by a margin of over 1.7 lakh votes.

The NPF and Congress had forged a strategic understanding by setting up a common candidate from the NPF in the by-poll to the lone Lok Sabha seat.

A party source said that with the return of the former veteran leaders into the Congress fold, many more from the Nagaland Congress are also in line for the homecoming.

It has also been informed further by the source that the party was keen to set up a consensus candidate along with the NPF.

The Congress under Dr. S.C. Jamir was the dominant party when its vote share in 1993 was a huge 46.02% for the 35 seats it won.

In 2003, the Congress saw a decline in its vote share when it polled 35.8% under Dr. Jamir and won 21 seats while the newly formed regional NPF under Neiphiu Rio got 29.76% votes and won 19 seats in the same year i.e 2003. The vote swing away from the Congress then was around 13%. NPF formed the government (DAN-I) with the remaining parties BJP (7), NDM (5), J-DU (3), Samata Party (1) and Independent (4) headed by Neiphiu Rio.

In 2008, Congress got a vote share of 36.28% which is more than around 3% in 2003. In 2003 the party won 23 seats. The ruling NPF got lesser vote share of 33.62% but won 26 seats.

Also Read: NAGALAND NEWS