Hekani Jakhalu of the NDPP made history by becoming the first woman to be elected to the 60-member Nagaland Assembly. Ms. Jakhalu was announced the winner from the Dimapur-III constituency in the 2023 Nagaland Assembly elections. She defeated Azheto Zhimomi of LJP (Ram Vilas) by 1,536 votes. Ms. Jakhalu is a U.S.-educated lawyer and social entrepreneur.