Hekani Jakhalu scripted history today, becoming the first woman MLA of Nagaland. The 48-year-old contesting on a Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) ticket defeated Azheto Zhimomi of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) by a margin of 1,536 votes. She is one of the four women candidates who contested the Nagaland elections this year.
Jakhalu polled 14,241 votes against her nearest rival Azheto who bagged 12,705 votes.
The Christian-majority state has had 30 state assemblies but no woman has ever been elected since Nagaland became a state in 1963.
Counting of votes for the 60-member Nagaland Assembly is underway in the state, polling for which took place on February 27.
Jakhalu is the founder of NGO YouthNet and is a lawyer by profession. In 2018, she was honoured the Nari Shakti Award, which made her the lone recipient of the prestigious award for women from the northeast.
According to details on myNeta, Jakhalu holds a post-graduate degree and has declared assets worth Rs 5 crore in her election affidavit.