The squabble for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket in Nagaland and particularly in Mokokchung is no secret. The declaration of 40:20 seat sharing deal between the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and BJP with “no friendly contest” has created a shortage of tickets for aspiring BJP candidates in the state.
With many veteran politicians jumping ship and joining the BJP over the last few weeks – it was a clear indication of calm before the storm. And now the storm has hit the district beginning with the protest on Tuesday outside the BJP Mokokchung District office by the ‘Karyakartas’ of 26 Aonglenden Mandal.
Sources close to the party have said that the party will allocate three party tickets – 21 Tuli A/C, 28 Koridang A/C and 30 Alongtaki A/C – in Mokokchung district this time around if the party is to contest in the 20-40 seat sharing arrangement.
However, the game has taken a sharp turn with prominent politicians like Imkong L Imchen, TN Mannen and Alemtemshi Jamir showing interest in joining the saffron party. The former two already have joined the BJP.
Imkong L Imchen has said that he’ll be vying for the BJP ticket, while TN Mannen in an interview has also said the same.
Dr Temsuwati and James Yaden in a protest recently in Dimapur against the seat sharing arrangement had announced their intentions to contest in the upcoming polls and sought the party ticket for 27 Mokokchung Town A/C and 21 Tuli A/C respectively.
Meanwhile, the BJP Mokokchung District had on Monday written a letter to the National Party President of BJP requesting a party ticket for its district in-charge Nuklutoshi Longkumer for the 22 Arkakong Assembly Constituency stating that Longkumer is “one of the most loyal karyakartas in the state.”
The BJP Mokokchung District had also demanded a ticket for Toshipokba Longkumer, stating that the 26 Aonglenden Assembly Constituency has the “highest enrollment amongst all the BJP mandals in Mokokchung district.”
It is obvious that 30 Alongtaki A/C one of the seats in the district where the State BJP President Temjen Imna Along is the sitting MLA will surely get his cookie.
Therefore, the question now arises on which assembly constituencies the party will field its candidates. In case NDPP submits to the BJP demand for 30:30 seat sharing, a minimum of 5 tickets will have to be allotted to Mokokchung district. But this seems practically not viable with prospective candidates in Zunheboto, Dimapur, Kohima, Mon, Shamator-Chessore and Pughoboto also demanding the BJP tickets.
It may be noted that the BJP had allocated a total of 2 party tickets in the previous assembly elections in 2018 under the 40-20 seat sharing arrangement with the NDPP of which both seats were successfully contested by the party.
Of the 10 assembly constituencies in Mokokchung, there are 4 sitting MLAs from NDPP, 2 from BJP, 1 NPF, and 1 Independent with two seats now vacant after the passing of NDPP’s MLA Late Dr Imtiwapang Aier and erstwhile NDPP MLA Imkong L Imchen resigning from the Assembly.