BJP candidate Daochier I Imchen’s rise as Nagaland’s youngest MLA was shaped by one defining political reality: while Mangmetong stood almost entirely behind him, his rivals’ strongest bases either split their votes or failed to expand beyond their own territories.
The Koridang bypoll, held across 30 polling stations under eight villages, Yimyu Ward and Alichen township, saw 18,400 votes cast out of 22,382 electors, an estimated turnout of 82.2 percent.
Daochier secured 7,317 votes to defeat Independent candidate Major Toshikaba (Retd), who polled 4,194 votes. Independent candidate Imtiwapang followed with 3,633 votes, while NPP candidate I Abenjang secured 3,219 votes. Independent candidate Imchatoba received 147 votes, Congress candidate Chalukumba polled 144, while NOTA stood at 48.
But beyond the final tally, the bypoll revealed a deeper story, one shaped less by party affiliation and more by village loyalties, candidate origins and who could build support outside their home ground.
Mangmetong, Daochier’s home village, became the bedrock of his victory. He secured an overwhelming 4,583 votes there, while Toshikaba managed just 2 votes, Imtiwapang 23, Abenjang 21, Chalukumba 6 and Imchatoba 29. In all five Mangmetong polling stations, Toshikaba failed to register a single vote.
That margin effectively gave Daochier the kind of advantage no rival could easily offset elsewhere.
If Mangmetong was Daochier’s fortress, Chungtia was his weakest point. Daochier secured only 2 votes in the entire village, both from Sabangya, and recorded zero in four of Chungtia’s five polling stations.
Yet Chungtia’s rejection of Daochier did not produce a united challenger.
Major Toshikaba led there with 2,511 votes, while fellow Chungtia candidate Imtiwapang secured 2,213 votes. Congress candidate Chalukumba added 42 votes. Chungtia clearly emerged as the constituency’s strongest anti-Daochier zone, but that resistance was divided between multiple candidates.
Longkhum told a different story. Abenjang dominated his home base with 2,162 votes, comfortably ahead of Daochier’s 470 and Toshikaba’s 377. But while Longkhum consolidated around Abenjang, that strength remained largely confined to his own area.
Outside these three main centres, the smaller villages and mixed zones played a crucial role in deciding who could widen their reach.
Satsu, a satellite village of Mangmetong leaned heavily toward Daochier, giving him 280 votes while rivals remained marginal. Khensa turned into one of the constituency’s closest battlegrounds, where Daochier secured 740 votes against Imtiwapang’s 632, while both Abenjang and Toshikaba also retained notable numbers.
Mekuli gave Daochier a narrow lead with 59 votes, ahead of Toshikaba’s 39 and Imtiwapang’s 37.
Aliba, however, became one of Toshikaba’s more important gains outside Chungtia, where he edged Daochier by 338 votes to 316.
Kinunger offered Imtiwapang his clearest breakthrough beyond Chungtia, where he led with 177 votes.
Yimyu Ward reflected a broader political spread rather than village bloc dominance. Daochier led with 346 votes, followed by Imtiwapang at 269, Abenjang at 190 and Toshikaba at 139.
Alichen township proved one of the most competitive zones in the constituency. Abenjang led with 437 votes, Toshikaba followed closely with 421, while Daochier secured 325, showing that township voters were less rigidly tied to village-based loyalties.
Postal ballots also strengthened Daochier’s position, with 153 votes compared to Toshikaba’s 44, Imtiwapang’s 43 and Abenjang’s 39.
Taken together, Koridang’s electoral map showed that Daochier’s victory was not built on Mangmetong alone, though his home base gave him a commanding foundation. His win also depended on securing enough support in villages like Satsu, Khensa and Mekuli, while his opponents remained divided in key areas.
Chungtia produced the strongest resistance, but split between Toshikaba and Imtiwapang. Longkhum stood firmly with Abenjang, but that loyalty remained largely localized. Meanwhile, Daochier combined overwhelming home-village consolidation with broader gains across multiple pockets of the constituency.
In the end, Koridang was a reminder that in constituencies shaped strongly by village identity, unity within one’s base can often matter more than scattered popularity elsewhere.
Daochier did not need to dominate everywhere. Mangmetong’s near-total backing, combined with strategic gains beyond it, proved enough to overcome divided opposition and secure both a BJP victory and his place as Nagaland’s youngest MLA.