With the Nagaland state elections due in a few weeks, there are four women candidates in the fray – Er. Kahuli Sema, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from 32 Atoizu; Hekani Jakhalu, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) candidate from 3 Dimapur-III; Salhoutuonuo Kruse, another NDPP candidate from 8 Western Angami and Rosy Thomson, Indian National Congress (INC) candidate from 6 Tening.
The Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) is yet to see a woman MLA since the first NLA was formed on 11 February 1964.
Here is a brief profile of the four candidates,
Er. Kahuli Sema
- Er. Kahuli Sema had recently taken voluntary retirement as the engineer-in-chief of the Nagaland Public Works department and was the ‘first woman engineer-in-chief among the Sumi community and the second among Nagas’.
During her farewell programme, she stated that ‘she has taken a voluntary retirement to play a bigger role and be a part of development’.
A lifelong bureaucrat, she will go against Picto Shohe, former NDPP MLA and now in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Shohe is the sitting MLA from the constituency, 32 Atoizu, but was dropped from the NDPP ticket list.
Hekani Jakhalu
- Hekani Jakhalu is the founder of YouthNet Nagaland, which helps youths of Nagaland to pursue business opportunities.
She was also awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar award in 2018 for empowering women, unemployed and drop-out youths to develop skills and find a livelihood. (The Nari Shakti Puraskar is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment).
She has stated that she is fighting this election on four points – youth, women, to make Dimapur-III a model constituency, and the minority community.
It may be mentioned that sitting NDPP MLA Azheto Zhimomi was dropped to accommodate Jakhalu, causing an uproar among Zhimomi’s supporters.
He is now contesting from a Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) ticket.
Salhoutuonuo Kruse
- Salhoutuonuo Kruse, another NDPP candidate is contesting from 8 Western Angami. Kruse is the wife of late Kevisekho Kruse, who fought against sitting MLA Keneizhakho Nakhro in the 2018 election and lost by a small margin.
Nakhro, who won as a Naga People’s Front (NPF) candidate, had defected to the NDPP last year but failed to get a ticket from the party for the upcoming election.
Kruse is also a former president of Angami Women Organisation.
Rosy Thomson
- Rosy Thomson is a Congress party candidate from 6 Tening and the only woman contesting against 5 male candidates in her first election.
Speaking to Nagaland Tribune, Thomson stated that she is confident and hoped that she will win. If elected, she will work on empowering women and the youth.
Lamenting that people do not support women in our state unlike other states, she stated that women too should be given a chance to prove themselves.
The mysterious candidate will be contesting against Henry Zeliang from NPF; Namri Nchang from NCP; Dr. Tumda Newme, independent candidate; Zandi Domta from National People’s Party (NPP), and Tarie Zeliang from NDPP.
