The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), part of the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) in Nagaland, has retained the Koridang Assembly seat following the by-election held on April 9, with results declared on Monday.
According to the Election Commission of India, BJP candidate Daochier I. Imchen defeated Independent candidate Major Toshikaba (Retd) by a margin of 3,123 votes. Imchen secured 7,317 votes, while Toshikaba polled 4,194 votes.
At 35, Imchen has been elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly for the first time. He is the son of late BJP leader Imkong L. Imchen, whose death in November 2025 necessitated the bypoll.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who heads the PDA coalition, congratulated Imchen on his victory. In a post on X, Rio said the mandate reflects public confidence in the alliance’s vision and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to development and progress in the state.
Imchen was the consensus candidate of the multi-party PDA alliance. A total of six candidates contested the election, including Congress nominee T. Chalukumba Ao, who secured 144 votes, and Independent candidate Imchatoba Imchen.
The counting process was conducted in three rounds at the Mokokchung District Deputy Commissioner’s office, beginning with postal ballots followed by votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), in line with Election Commission guidelines.
The bypoll saw a voter turnout of 82.21 per cent across 30 polling stations. Authorities had deployed multi-tier security arrangements in and around the counting centre following incidents of election-related violence earlier in April that resulted in one fatality, injuries, and damage to vehicles.
-IANS
