Kohima, the ruling NDPP swept the civic body polls in Nagaland on Saturday, winning all three municipal councils and a majority of municipal councils, officials said.
On Wednesday, voting was held for the 24 urban local bodies (three municipal councils and 21 municipal councils) distributed in 10 districts. Nearly 82 per cent of the over 2.23 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the elections, they said.
The counting began at 8 a.m. in 16 centers and has been slow since the elections were held by ballot, they added.
The NDPP won all three municipal councils: Kohima, Mokokchung and Dimapur. Of the 21 councils, it won majority in all except Wokha, Bhandari and Phek, officials said.
In Wokha town council, the NDPP won seven of the 15 seats, while the NCP won five and the BJP won three seats. They said the Naga People's Front (NPF) got a majority in the Bhandari and Phek town councils.
In Bhandari town council, the NPF won six of the nine wards, while the BJP and the JDU won one each, with an independent candidate also winning. In Phek City Council, the NPF won seven of the nine seats.
The NDPP, which had already won five of the 19 Kohima Municipal Council seats unopposed, added eight more after the final declaration of the result, securing a majority.
In the Mokokchung Municipal Council, the NDPP won 15 of a total of 18 seats. It had previously won six seats unopposed.
The recount of the 23 Dimapur Municipal Council seats is still underway, but the NDPP has already crossed the majority mark, officials said.
The lowest margin of victory was recorded in a Chantongya City Council seat, where NDPP candidate Temjennungsang won against independent candidate A Limasanen by just one vote, State Election Commission officials said.
The youngest among the winning candidates is 22-year-old Nzanrhomi I Mozhui of the BJP, who won Bhandari Municipal Council ward 1 in Wokha district. He defeated Hayiana Y Tungoe of the NPF.
Bhandari is the only urban local body where the NDPP did not field any candidate.
Previously, the NDPP had won unopposed all nine Chiephobozou City Council wards in Kohima district.
In total, 523 candidates from 11 political parties were in the running. The NDPP fielded the highest number of candidates with 178, followed by the BJP with 44, Congress with 37, NPP with 22, NPF with 21 and NCP with 15. JD(U) contested nine seats, RPI (Athawale) and LJP seven each, and The rising People's Party also had 182 independent candidates.
A total of 64 candidates (45 from NDPP, seven from BJP, five from NCP, three from Congress, two from NPF and two independents) won unopposed in this election in different councils and town halls.
Civic body elections in the state were held after a gap of two decades.
It is also historic because it was the first municipal election in the state to be held with 33 per cent reservation for women.
The government had announced elections to urban local bodies several times in the past, but objections by tribal bodies and civil society organizations to reservations for women and land and property taxes had delayed the elections.
Nagaland has a total of 39 municipal councils, but elections were not held in 14 of them as they are situated in the six eastern districts where tribal bodies called for a boycott.
The Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO), the apex body of seven Naga tribes, has been demanding a "Frontier Territory of Nagaland", alleging that the region has been neglected for years.
As many as 59 nominations were accepted from the region, but the tribal bodies forced the candidates to withdraw their nominations. These constituencies also did not vote in the Lok Sabha polls.
On Wednesday, voting was held for the 24 urban local bodies (three municipal councils and 21 municipal councils) distributed in 10 districts. Nearly 82 per cent of the over 2.23 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the elections, they said.
The counting began at 8 a.m. in 16 centers and has been slow since the elections were held by ballot, they added.
The NDPP won all three municipal councils: Kohima, Mokokchung and Dimapur. Of the 21 councils, it won majority in all except Wokha, Bhandari and Phek, officials said.
In Wokha town council, the NDPP won seven of the 15 seats, while the NCP won five and the BJP won three seats. They said the Naga People's Front (NPF) got a majority in the Bhandari and Phek town councils.
In Bhandari town council, the NPF won six of the nine wards, while the BJP and the JDU won one each, with an independent candidate also winning. In Phek City Council, the NPF won seven of the nine seats.
The NDPP, which had already won five of the 19 Kohima Municipal Council seats unopposed, added eight more after the final declaration of the result, securing a majority.
In the Mokokchung Municipal Council, the NDPP won 15 of a total of 18 seats. It had previously won six seats unopposed.
The recount of the 23 Dimapur Municipal Council seats is still underway, but the NDPP has already crossed the majority mark, officials said.
The lowest margin of victory was recorded in a Chantongya City Council seat, where NDPP candidate Temjennungsang won against independent candidate A Limasanen by just one vote, State Election Commission officials said.
The youngest among the winning candidates is 22-year-old Nzanrhomi I Mozhui of the BJP, who won Bhandari Municipal Council ward 1 in Wokha district. He defeated Hayiana Y Tungoe of the NPF.
Bhandari is the only urban local body where the NDPP did not field any candidate.
Previously, the NDPP had won unopposed all nine Chiephobozou City Council wards in Kohima district.
In total, 523 candidates from 11 political parties were in the running. The NDPP fielded the highest number of candidates with 178, followed by the BJP with 44, Congress with 37, NPP with 22, NPF with 21 and NCP with 15. JD(U) contested nine seats, RPI (Athawale) and LJP seven each, and The rising People's Party also had 182 independent candidates.
A total of 64 candidates (45 from NDPP, seven from BJP, five from NCP, three from Congress, two from NPF and two independents) won unopposed in this election in different councils and town halls.
Civic body elections in the state were held after a gap of two decades.
It is also historic because it was the first municipal election in the state to be held with 33 per cent reservation for women.
The government had announced elections to urban local bodies several times in the past, but objections by tribal bodies and civil society organizations to reservations for women and land and property taxes had delayed the elections.
Nagaland has a total of 39 municipal councils, but elections were not held in 14 of them as they are situated in the six eastern districts where tribal bodies called for a boycott.
The Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO), the apex body of seven Naga tribes, has been demanding a "Frontier Territory of Nagaland", alleging that the region has been neglected for years.
As many as 59 nominations were accepted from the region, but the tribal bodies forced the candidates to withdraw their nominations. These constituencies also did not vote in the Lok Sabha polls.
