Kohima: After a 20-year hiatus, Nagaland is set to conduct its Urban Local Bodies (ULB) election, with 33% reservation for women. The State Election Commission (SEC) has confirmed that all necessary arrangements are in place for the polls scheduled on June 26, 2024, under the “watch “legal eyes” of the Supreme Court.
In a press conference held in Kohima on Thursday, SEC Commissioner TJ Longkumer detailed the preparations and challenges encountered. He said that the commission faced several legal issues.
He highlighted the dismissal of petitions by the High Court after some candidates regarding the inclusion of names post the due process.
The SEC also addressed the issue of non-indigenous candidates contesting the elections. Despite no written complaints, he said the Commission took Suo-moto cognizance of the matter in the interest of the public, concluding that candidates it has no comments as the state government is the issuing authority of the indigenous certificates. This indicates that any resident in possession of the indigenous certificates can be eligible to contest the polls.
He informed that out of 670 nominations, four were rejected due to incomplete documentation, leaving 523 candidates in the fray. The SEC has prohibited public meetings during the 48 hours preceding election day.
For the first time, only state forces have been deployed to ensure a peaceful election across the state.
IGP Range and State Police Nodal Officer, Limasunep, reported comprehensive security measures, particularly in the Western areas of Nagaland covering 10 districts, including Niuland and Chümoukedima.
He said that out of 530 polling stations, 92 have been identified as normal, 209 as sensitive, and 229 as hyper-sensitiv. A total of about 8,100 personnel from 108 companies (29 NAP, 38 IRB, and 41 DEF) have been deployed on duty.
He informed that the pre-poll efforts of the forces include area domination. the officer said that the state has informed the Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) to issue advisories to underground groups (UGs) against carrying arms.
A joint control room of the forces has been set to monitor daily activities to preempt any law-and-order disruptions. On polling day, he said that any instances of impersonation or bribery will be dealt with according to the law.
Additional Commissioner and state nodal officer for SEC, L Jamithung Lotha, emphasised the commitment to an incident-free election, ensuring that all efforts would be made for free and fair elections.
He said that out of the 2,76,229 voters, 1,36,62 are male.
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Regarding the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) poll abstention, Longkumer mentioned that any legal issues would be addressed post-election. He appealed for peaceful, violence-free polls, noting that any necessary repolls would be conducted.
Voting is scheduled from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with potential extensions if there are queues, on polling day.
Also Read | Nagaland ULB polls: 64 candidates elected uncontested; 523 in fray sans ENPO areas