Nagaland Lok Sabha election results 2019: NDP's Tokheho Yepthomi races ahead

Nagaland Lok Sabha Election results update:

As of 12:36 pm, The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party's Tokheho Yepthomi is leading with 8000 votes. The Indian National Congress' K L Chishi trails close by.

Nagaland Lok Sabha constituency profile: 

Four candidates are in the fray from the lone seat in the North Eastern state of Nagaland. 

The election to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland will be a four-cornered contest.  The candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha seat are KL Chishi from Congress, sitting MP NDPP's Tokheho Yepthomi, NPP's Hayithung Tungoe and M M Thromwa Konyak who is running as an independent. 

NDPP is supported by BJP. Yepthomi became MP last year after Neiphiu Rio became CM of the state. Constitutional Amendment Bill is a major poll issue here. It remains to be seen whether bringing the bill proves costly for BJP and its ally NDPP. Naga People's Front, the main opposition party in the state is backing the Congress candidate to avoid division of 'secular' vote. It has decided not to file a candidate. However, 7 of the 27 MLAs of NPF have pledged their support to NDPP candidate. 

With Naga accord still in limbo, Rahul Gandhi has promised to find a way out and also has come out strongly against constitutional amendment bill. The party is hoping, Chisti the richest candidate in the fray in this seat would manage to win over incumbent Yepthomi. 

In 2014, Neiphiu Rio won the seat, ironically from NPF. Congress last won the seat in 1999. In total, the party has won the seat five times and will be hoping to repeat the same feat again.