A regional ally has opened the bypoll account for a Bharatiya Janata Party-fronted forum in the Northeast by winning an Assembly seat in Opposition-less Nagaland uncontested.

The bypolls to nine other Assembly seats in the Northeast would be held on October 30. Five of these are in Assam, three in Meghalaya and one in Mizoram.

S. Keoshu Yimchunger, the candidate of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), was declared elected to the Shamator-Chessore constituency unopposed on October 13. The NDPP rules Nagaland in alliance with the BJP and the Naga People’s Front (NPF), which joined the government after three years in the Opposition.

The NDPP now has 21 MLAs in the 60-member Nagaland House while the NPF has 25 and the BJP 12. There are two independents, also a part of the government.

Footballer in fray

The United Democratic Party (UDP), another regional ally of the BJP, has pinned hopes on the “scoring skills” of footballer Eugeneson Lyngdoh to deliver the Mawphlang seat in Meghalaya.

A midfielder who played for India and had last appeared for the Kolkata-based East Bengal club in the Indian Super League, Mr. Lyngdoh is the son of Syntar Kas Sunn, the UDP legislator whose death necessitated the bypoll for Mawphlang.

“My career as a politician has begun because the people wanted me to contest and take my father’s place. Consider me as retired from football,” Mr. Lyngdoh, 35, said. His main rival is expected to be Kennedy C. Khyriem of the Congress.

The National People’s Party (NPP), which heads the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government as the single largest party, has lent support to the footballer-turned-politician. The NPP is contesting the other two seats — Mawryngkneng and Rajabala — where its main rival is the Congress.

The outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, an extremist group, has warned the people against voting for the NPP, which has “sniffed a political conspiracy”.

BJP candidate poorest

K. Laldinthara, the BJP spokesperson in Mizoram and a former student leader, is the poorest of the four candidates in the fray for the State’s Tuirial Assembly seat.

According to his affidavit, he has ₹5.5 lakh in movable assets and has no immovable property.

All of his three rivals — Chalrosanga Ralte of the Congress, K. Laldawngliana of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and K. Laldinthara of Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) — are millionaires.

The Congress candidate is the richest with assets worth ₹26.9 crore followed by the candidates of the ZPM (₹15.16 crore in total assets) and MNF (₹6.7 crore).