Daochier I Imchen quickly took the lead in the Koridang election and stayed ahead throughout the counting process, finishing with that 3,123 vote lead. Because of this win, the current group of parties in power in Nagaland will keep the seat, and a 35-year-old will be the youngest in the 14th Assembly.
This outcome means the family’s political influence continues in the area after the death of his father, Imkong L Imchen, a former BJP member of the Assembly (MLA) last November. Daochier I Imchen had support from the Naga Peoples’ Front’s Peoples’ Democratic Alliance, something the other candidates didn’t have.
Vote shares and margins
The final vote count clearly shows how much he won by. Daochier I Imchen got 7,317 votes, Toshikaba (an independent) got 4,194, Imtiwapang (also an independent) got 3,633, I Abenjang from the NPP got 3,219, and T Chalukumba Ao from the Congress received only 144.
This large victory is different than the 2023 Assembly election in Koridang. At that time, Imkong L Imchen (BJP) only won by 410 votes (2.14%) against Maj. (retd) Toshikaba of the NPF. Of the 19,145 votes cast, the BJP’s Imkong L Imchen received 8,340, which was 43.56% of the votes.
Turnout and conduct of polling
A surprisingly large number of people voted. On April 9th, 82.21% of the 22,382 registered voters went to the polls, with 18,400 ballots cast at the 30 polling places. This shows a lot of interest from local people despite the short amount of time there was to campaign.
Security was increased after incidents on April 5th and 6th that resulted in one death and damage to several vehicles. Counting began at 8am at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, and was protected by many security personnel, lots of CCTV cameras, and tight restrictions on who could enter.
The field and alliances
There were six people running for the position. Daochier I Imchen (BJP) was the choice of the PDA, Toshikaba, Imtiwapang and Imchatoba Imchen ran as independents, I Abenjang for the NPP, and T Chalukumba Ao for the Congress.
The very few votes the Congress received (144) shows how strongly people supported the campaign of the group in power. Although the NPP and two strong independents were also in the running, the BJP won by a large margin.
Key developments at a glance
Here are the highlights from Koridang and beyond today:
– Lead of 3,123 votes sealed Koridang
– BJP polled 7,317; Toshikaba got 4,194
– Imtiwapang received 3,633; NPP got 3,219
– Congress candidate T Chalukumba Ao managed 144 votes
– Turnout stood at 82.21% across 30 stations
Wider bypoll picture
At the same time as the Koridang result, in Tripura, Jahar Chakraborti of the BJP won the Dharmanagar election by 18,920 votes, getting 24,291 votes. Amitabha Datta of the CPI(M) received 6,001 votes, and Chayan Bhattacharya of the Congress got 5,936. This election was held because the Assembly Speaker, Biswa Bandhu Sen, had died.
In Umreth, Gujarat, BJP candidate Harshad Parmar won by a huge 30,743 votes. He received about 85,500 votes, a very comfortable lead over Bhrugurajsinh Chauhan of the Congress, indicating a one-sided election.
In Karnataka, the early results were different. The Congress was leading in Bagalkot and Davanagere South, with Umesh Meti ahead of Veerabhadrayya Charantimath of the BJP by over 17,000 votes, and Samarth Mallikarjun (Congress) leading Srinivasa T Dasakariyappa (BJP) by around 7,900 votes. The counting is still going on in multiple rounds.
In Maharashtra, Sunetra Pawar of the NCP was doing very well in Baramati, and Akshay Kardile of the BJP was ahead in Rahuri. The Rahuri seat was available because BJP MLA Shivaji Kardile died in October of last year. Counting is still happening in both of these areas.
For Nagaland, the result in Koridang ensures the ruling coalition is stable and a younger person is now in the Assembly. The people of the area have clearly stated what they want from their next representative, with a large number of votes and support for a single candidate.
