Nagaland assembly elections: Despite call to boycott, 24 nominations filed before deadline

Despite the call to boycott elections, nominations have been filed in Nagaland. The assembly polls in the state are slated to take place on 27th February. On Tuesday 22 nominations were filed. The last date for filing nominations is February 7th.

The Back Story

The boycott was called by the Core Committee of Naga Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations. The CCNTHCO were running a campaign against the elections wanting to resolve the Naga problem. The problem goes back 20 years that involves the extremist outfits in the state. The Naga problem is a feud that has run deep for very long. The matter could undo the peace of the region. Certain insurgent groups have been demanding rights over the territory Nagalim which includes present-day Nagaland and four districts of Manipur and parts of Myanmar. While media coverage of the problem may be little, the problem is persistent. Moreover, the centre has for very long side-lined the problem.

Present-day Situation

The efforts were squashed when 22 nominations were filed and belonged to different political parties. 11 political parties in all had agreed not to give a party ticket or file nominations for the polls. Yet, BJP has filed its nominations too. The Naga National Political Groups and the NSCN-IM have warned parties against contesting in the elections. Till now 24 nominations have been filed from 17 different constituencies. 10 out of the 24 nominations were filed from NDDP and 6 from BJP. 7 belonged to the Naga People’s Front. Congress has also released a list of 23 candidates.

The sudden growth of the candidature means that the election will be held on time.  As the elections now take off, the problem and safety of the people of Nagaland are still not certain. Maybe the answers to this problem will come through when they elect a candidate. This is an issue highly steeped in politics, that involves culture and more importantly, identity.