Nagaland: 523 in fray for ULB polls, ENPO to abstain
On June 26, 24 ULBs across the state will go to polls to constitute the long overdue civic bodies. Elections to these were last held in 2004
Kohima: As Nagaland gears up to hold its first civic polls after two decades, the people from six eastern districts have planned to abstain from participating in the polling.
The six districts – Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator – under the aegis of Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) have a standing resolution since February this year to refrain from participating in any central or state election over the autonomous Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) issue.
These six districts had also abstained from participating in the recently held parliamentary elections.
The resolution taken in February this year was to abstain from participating in any central or state elections to protest against the failure to settle the Union government’s offer for the creation of autonomous Frontier Nagaland Territory through the Union ministry of home affairs.
Despite the ENPO’s call for poll abstention, 61 intending candidates, including 23 women, had filed nominations in Mon, Kiphire, Longleng and Shamator districts. However, as scrutiny and withdrawal of names came to a close on Tuesday, officials said 59 candidates have withdrawn their papers while two were rejected during scrutiny.
Also Read: Nagaland govt appeals to ENPO to participate in upcoming local body polls
People familiar with the matter told HT that the candidates had to withdraw their papers under duress and pressure from their respective tribal bodies, who are the affiliate units of ENPO.
The ENPO, representing the tribes of Konyak, Chang, Phom, Yimkhiung, Khiamniungan, Sangtam, Tikhir and eastern Sümi, has over 400,000 voters and 20 assembly seats. Under the state’s ULB, the six districts have 14 town councils.
According to the updates received from the establishment of the State Election Commissioner (SEC), T John Longkumer, on Wednesday, a total of 79 intending candidates for the state’s three municipal councils – Kohima, Dimapur and Mokokchung – and 36 town councils have pulled out of the race from the initial 669 (including 238 women) who filed nomination. A total of 64 candidates have been declared elected unopposed in 21 ULBs, and 523 are in the fray for the June 26 polls.
On June 26, 24 ULBs across the state will go to polls to constitute the long overdue civic bodies. Elections to these were last held in 2004. The state then went through multiple litigations for not being able to conduct the civic polls over issues surrounding quotas for women and property taxation.
Last year, the Nagaland assembly repealed its contentious 2001 Municipal Act and put in place a new law which received the state governor’s assent in March this year. Subsequently, the SEC notified the polls.
It may be mentioned here that the state’s advocate general had earlier in April assured the Supreme Court during a PIL hearing filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties that the ULB elections in Nagaland would be completed with a 33% quota for women by June.
