Congress announces star campaigners, JD(U) members to support Congress candidate

The Indian National Congress has listed its ‘star campaigners’ for the bye-election to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly from 43-Tapi Assembly Constituency to be held on 7 November.

A total of 36 Congress leaders were listed as its ‘star campaigners’ including Congress general secretary in-charge of Gujarat and former Union minister, Mukul Wasnik, MP Rajya Sabha; another former Union minister and senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, MP Rajya Sabha and General Secretary; former IPS officer and former MP, Dr Ajoy Kumat, AICC in-charge of Sikkim, Tripura and Nagaland; Deputy Leader of the Indian National Congress in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi; and CWC member and national spokesperson of the Congress, Mohan Prakash. The list also included a number of Nagaland state Congress leaders led by its president S Supongmeren Jamir.

Meanwhile, it was reported at least 20 households from Hongphoi Village conveyed their support to INC candidate Wanglem Konyak on 20 October. All of them were from the JD(U)led by JD(U)Hongphoi Unit president Panpha. It may be mentioned here that the JD(U)candidate in the last assembly election in the constituency won 2770 votes while the winning candidate, late Noke Wangnao of the NDPP registered a narrow margin of victory over Wanglem Konyak of NPF, who is now the Congress candidate for the bye-election. Wangnao lost by just 82 votes. Late Noke Wangnao won 5864 votes while Wanglem Konyak won 5782 votes.

Interestingly, the Nagaland JD(U) president NSN Lotha and Nagaland Congress president S Supongmeren Jamir earlier this month met and discussed the “state of affairs and the challenges faced by the people of Nagaland” as reported by this newspaper on 8 October.

Mokokchung Times