With the Election Commission of India (ECI) announcing the election schedule for the Nagaland assembly elections on Wednesday, the state will see a total of 1,189,264 voters exercising their franchise in 2,315 polling stations across 60 assembly constituencies on February 27.
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Although the state assembly currently is an Opposition-less House, chief minister Neiphiu Rio-led Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have already announced a continuation of their pre-poll seat-sharing (40 seats for the NDPP and 20 for the BJP) arrangement from 2018.
The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has been left to fend for itself. “Preparations are afoot. We are looking for a good result in the forthcoming election,” party secretary general Achumbemo Kikon said, not ruling out a post-poll coalition.
In 2018, the NDPP won 18 seats while its pre-poll ally BJP won 12; NPF won 26, National People’s Party two, and Janata Dal (United) one. One seat was won by an Independent candidate.
IN 2021, 21 of NPF’s 26 members defected to the NDPP.
But the shadow of the long-running peace talks may hang over the poll campaign.
Seven tribes of six eastern districts under the umbrella of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) are demanding a separate Frontier Nagaland state and threatened to abstain from participating in any election process if the Union government failed to address its demand. Talks between a committee set up by the Union home ministry and the ENPO are ongoing.
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State Congress unit president K Therie said the party will contest all the 60 seats but didn’t rule out a post-poll alliance with the NPF and other “like-minded and secular” parties.
The National People’s Party (NPP), which won two seats in its debut in 2018, is also looking to put up a strong fight. State unit president Andrew Ahoto said the party is looking to contest in 10-15 seats.
Nagaland is yet to elect a woman representative to its 60-seat assembly.
The Naga peace talks and infrastructural woes as the quality of roads, education and public healthcare are among issues that are likely to play a key role in the upcoming elections.
