History scripted! Nagaland Elects Two Women MLAs As Salhoutuonuo Kruse, Hekani Jakhalu Win From NDPP

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• Mar 2, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Nagaland Polls Result:  Salhoutuonuo Kruse and Hekani Jakhalu, both candidates from the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), won the...

Digital Desk: Nagaland made history on Thursday when it elected two women to its state assembly for the first time. Salhoutuonuo Kruse and Hekani Jakhalu, both candidates from the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), won the Western Angami and Dimapur-III constituencies, respectively. 

Kruse is a local hotel owner, and Jakhalu is a Delhi University graduate and faculty member. She is also a US-educated lawyer, social entrepreneur, and the founder of YouthNet, who has been awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar by the President of India. In their manifestos, both candidates outlined strong visions for youth development, women empowerment, minority rights, and model constituencies.

In the Nagaland assembly election, the NDPP-BJP coalition won five seats and held a lead in 34 seats. The Republican Party of India (Athawale) contested in the Nagaland assembly election for the first time, and it won two seats.

The historic election represents a significant shift in Nagaland's political scene since the state had never had a female MLA in its 60-member assembly, despite women having contested elections numerous times in the past. The only other woman to have been elected to a higher office in Nagaland is Rano M Shaiza, who won a Lok Sabha seat in 1977, and S Phangnon Konyak, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2022.

According to Election Commission data as of 4.30 p.m., the NDPP had gained 21 seats and was leading by four. In the meantime, the BJP had gained 12 seats. The National People's Party and the Nationalist Congress Party had won 4 seats each as had 4 independents. The Naga Peoples Front and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) each won one seat as of 4.30 p.m.