Since attaining statehood in 1963, Nagaland is yet to elect a woman legislator (MLA). In 2018, five candidates contested but failed to win. This time in Nagaland, four women are in the fray for the 14th Assembly elections to be held on February 27.
Women constitute almost half of Nagaland’s population with a potential 49.79% vote share in the upcoming elections. But of the total 183 candidates (excluding those who won unopposed) in the fray, only four are women, which is 6.67%.
Three political organizations – the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) have fielded four women candidates. They are Salhoutuonuo Krause, Rosie Thompson, Kahuli Sema and Hekani Jakhlu.
In the 2018 election, five women – Awan Konyak (NDPP), Rakhila (BJP), Wedi-U Kronu (NPP), Rekha Rose Dukru (Independent), and Dr K Manyangpula Chang (NPP) – contested but failed to achieve success. I failed to … …
Four women contesting the elections this time are also among the new faces.
Salhoutuonuo Crus (NDPP)
Salhoutuonuo Kruse, 56, is the NDPP candidate from 8 West Angami constituency, wife of the late Kvisekho Kruse, who contested the 2018 election from the same seat and party.
She will contest against MLA Kenizhakho Nakhro (IND). His major focus includes youth and women empowerment, skill development and employment, improving the quality of life of the people by enhancing governance and security, creating a model constituency, and equitable infrastructural development and representation of urban and rural areas. She also said that she wants to achieve the aspirations and goals left behind by her late husband.
Being actively involved in NGO for 24 years encouraged him to enter politics. She said that women are now realizing the importance of being in the government and being in the decision making process to help the society and the people.
According to him, there is also a need to change the mindset of living on the practices of the ancestors which are not suitable in the present times. He said that not all traditional practices are good or bad – some are good and some are bad.
Hekani Jakhlu (NDPP)
Social worker-turned-politician Hekani Jakhlu will contest from Dimapur-III constituency on NDPP ticket.
The 48-year-old will contest against four opponents – Ezeto Zhimomi (LJP-RV), Watetso Lasuh (INC), Upper Lune (IND), and Kahuto Chishi Sumi (IND).
His main focus areas are empowering the youth of the state, women empowerment, creating a model constituency and upliftment of minority communities.
Jakhalu, who has worked with youth for 17 years, is of the view that if Nagaland has to progress “we have to nurture and build our youth! Youth is our biggest capital. If they are able to stand on their feet and become independent, their dreams will come true.” She added that she would “fight for the youth”.
Apart from providing education, health care and basic amenities to all children, making Dimapur III a model constituency is also included in his personal manifesto.
Kahuli Sema (BJP)
BJP’s lone woman candidate Kahuli Sema is the first woman engineer-in-chief from the Sumi community and the second among the Nagas. She will contest from 32 Atoiju assembly constituency against Er Picto Shohe (NCP).
The 57-year-old took voluntary retirement to enter politics. After serving the government for 34 and a half years, she wants to play a bigger role and want to be a part of development.
Sema said she wanted to bring change for the people, but to do so she would have to be in the highest decision-making body.
SEMA was of the view that women empowerment should not be confined only to the corridors of bureaucracy or other sectors but it should also extend to the political sphere. She appealed to the people to support some women candidates in the elections, saying that “if it is not today, there may never be tomorrow”.
Rosie Thomson (INC)
Long time Congress worker Rosie Thomson will now contest the upcoming elections from 6 Tanning Assembly Constituency. She is the only woman candidate out of 23 contesting on Congress ticket.
Based in Ahthibung, Peren, Thomson will contest against five notable opponents, including NCP MLA Namri Nchang, NDPP Tari Zeliang, MPP Zandi Domta, IND and Henry Zeliang.
The 58-year-old said she joined the Congress during her college days in the late 1980s, initially intending to contest elections, but time did not allow her, and there were financial constraints and other issues leading up to this election.
She said that her main focus is women empowerment. In many states, there are many women who have been elected and given important portfolios. “Even in Meghalaya and Manipur women were given good positions, but in Nagaland, they don’t count us (women),” she said. He hoped that this time a woman would win.
She said that all women voters should support women candidates and called upon women to vote for the upliftment of women.
In 2022, S Phangnon Konyak (Member of the Rajya Sabha) created history when she became the first woman Member of Parliament (MP) from Nagaland in more than four decades. Konyak became only the second MP after the late Rano M Shaiza to be elected to the Lok Sabha from the state in 1977.
read all latest politics news Here