KOHIMA, India, Nov. 20 Reuter: Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress (I) Party reversed two years of electoral Josses on Friday, winning control of the remote northeast Indian State of Nagaland.
‘Official results showed the Congress (I) had won 31 seats in the 60member State Assembly for the jungle state bordering Burma. Gandhi’s party has controlled the Assembly since 1982.
The main opposition Nagaland National Democratic Party (NNDP) won 11 seats, and minor parties and independent eight. vote counting for the election held ‘on Wednesday was expected ‘The jungle state bordering Burma is far from the Indian political mainstream but the Congress (I) victory broke Gandhi’s two-year losing streak in state elections that has tarnished his image as a vote getter.
Although the nationally ruling party won an election earlier this year in Jammu and Kashmir in coalition with a regional party, it had not won a state poll on its own since mid1985.
It suffered an embarrassing defeat in June when it lost control of Haryana State, a neighbor of Delhi in the Hindi speaking tier of northern states that has been the Congress (I) Party stronghold since independence.
Indian Transport Minister Rajesh Pilot, dispatched by Gandhi to supervise the campaign, told Reuters that Gandhi congratulated Nagaland Chief Minister Hokishe ‘Sema “for bringing the party victory at the right time”.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 27, 1987
