Who is Hekani Jakhalu, First Woman MLA In Nagaland? Know All About Her

Hekani Jakhalu scripts history, became the first-ever woman to be elected as MLA in the Nagaland Assembly, scroll down to know more about her.

Nagaland: Nagaland Assembly Election vote counting is underway final results will be out by evening. This time Nagaland state has created history by electing two women candidates for the first time. Salhoutuonuo Kruse and Hekani Jakhalu, both from the ruling NDP. Salhoutuonuo Kruse won from Western Angami AC and Hekani Jakhalu from Dimapur-III. Hekani was fielded by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party(NDPP). She defeated Azheto Zhimomi of LJP (Ram Vilas) by 1536 votes. The ruling NDPP-BJP alliance has taken lead in the initial trends and will likely retain the power. The elections were held in Nagaland on February 27, after months of rigorous campaigns by national and regional political parties. ECI also conducted repolling in four polling stations of Nagaland, including Zunheboto, Sanis, Tizit, and Thonokyu constituencies.

Who is Hekani Jakhalu kense?

Hekani Jakhalu Kense is an Indian politician and social entrepreneur from Nagaland. She set up the non-governmental organization YouthNet Nagaland to help the youths of Nagaland pursue business opportunities. She was recognised with the Nari Shakti Puraskar award in 2018. In 2023, She along with Salhoutuonuo Kruse became the first women from Nagaland to be elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.Jakhalu has also worked in the United States. She returned to Delhi and began a career as a lawyer. She was made a partner in the firm but having seen firsthand the number of young people from Nagaland migrating to Delhi, she decided in 2006 to move to Kohima (the capital of Nagaland) to set up a non-governmental organization (NGO) called YouthNet which aims to create more opportunities for the youth of Nagaland. As of 2018, YouthNet had 30 employees and claims to have helped 23,500 people.

Hekani received the Nari Shakti Puraskar award in 2018, which is India's highest civilian award given only to women. She was the only person from the northeast of India to be honored that year. 

Nagaland Assembly Election 2023

The NDPP, led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, has been in an alliance with the BJP since the last elections in 2018. The alliance, which had won 30 seats in the previous election, is currently leading on 39 and is set to retain power in Nagaland. The majority mark is 31 in the 60-seat Assembly. Following a seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP ran for 20 seats while the NDPP ran for 40. Four women candidates - Hekani Jakhalu, Salhoutuo Kruse, Hukali Sema, and Rosy Thompson - contested the Nagaland Assembly election this time.