Thaindian News

Agartala/Kohima, March 17 (IANS) Ruling parties are set to score in the Rajya Sabha polls in Nagaland and Tripura next week. While ruling Left Front nominee Jharna Das (Baidya) is poised to win in Tripura, the numbers are stacked in favour of Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) candidate Khekiho Zhimomi in Nagaland.
In Tripura, the main opposition Congress did not file any candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat. Tuesday was the last day of filing of nominations.

The ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) led-Left Front has nominated Das, the chairperson of Tripura Social Welfare Board, who would be the second woman from the state to be elected to the Rajya Sabha since 1952.

In 1980, Ela Bhattacharjee, mother-in-law of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

The Congress has 10 members in the 60-member Tripura assembly while its ally Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) has one member. The remaining 49 members belong to the Left Front.

“As there is no chance of winning, we did not field any nominee for the Rajya Sabha seat in Tripura,” state Congress chief Surajeet Datta told IANS.

In Nagaland, the numbers favour Zhimomi, who will contest against Congress candidate and former Nagaland Mahila (woman) Congress president Imdanglemla Aier, also the chairperson of the state social welfare advisory board.

The main opposition Congress has 19 legislators in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly, while 40 members are from DAN coalition and one member is independent.

“The nominations were scrutinised Wednesday while the last day of withdrawal of candidature is Friday. The poll would be held March 26,” officials said in Kohima.