Dimapur, Aug. 3: Naga People's Front (NPF) president and former chief minister Shürhozelie Liezietsu today defeated his rival, Independent candidate Kekhrie Yhome, in the bypoll for the 10 Northern Angami-I Assembly constituency, by 3,470 votes.
With today's win, the "octogenarian regionalist" has set a record of entering the Nagaland Assembly for the ninth time.
Shürhozelie successfully contested this seat in 1969 for the first time and maintained his victory in the elections later held in 1974, 1977, 1982 and 1987. He was defeated only in 1989.
But he bounced back in the 1993 polls. The winning spree continued in 2003 and 2008.
In 2013, he retired from active politics and let his son, Khriehu Liezietsu, contest from his home constituency. Khriehu also won the 2013 election, only to resign in favour of his father on May 24 to become a member of the Assembly.
The battle was in favour of Shürhozelie from the moment counting began at 8am. He continued his lead while his first-timer rival Yhome gave him a good chase.
Altogether, 12,678 votes were polled.
The 81-year winner got 8,038 votes, which is 63.4 per cent of total votes polled while the 41-year-old human rights activist-cum-academician secured 36.03 per cent with 4,568 votes.
The total number of electorates in the constituency is 16,263.
Altogether 72 votes, 0.57 per cent, were counted as NOTA (none of the above).
Of the 23 postal ballots, Liezietsu got 12, Yhome got 10 and one was rejected.
Shürhozelie and Kekhrie both hail from Khel of Kohima village.
Liezietsu became chief minister on February 22, replacing NPF colleague T.R. Zeliang, who ousted him again in a rebellion on July 19.
However, as Shürhozelie had filed his nomination papers, a section of NPF legislators led by Zeliang revolted against him, leading to his ouster on July 19, hardly 10 days ahead of the byelection.
Zeliang had been appointed chief minister after Liezietsu and his followers failed to turn up to prove majority in the House as directed by Gauhati High Court.
Shürhozelie, who practically retired from active politics in 2013 and preferred to remain only the president of the NPF, had to step in because of Zeliang's resignation from the chief minister's post in February this year.
The NPF has literally suffered a split, which is yet to be formally accepted.
The victory was celebrated in a grand manner in the Shürhozelie camp. The celebrations began with a thanksgiving programme at Rüleizou, near Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima, at noon.
NPF working president Huskha Yepthomi chaired the programme while Rajya Sabha MP K.G. Kenye, who is also the secretary general of the party, delivered the introductory speech on the occasion.
