No voting in six Nagaland dists amid call for shutdown

THE SIX districts of Eastern Nagaland Friday saw close to no polling in the wake of a “call to abstain” from elections and a total shutdown called ahead of voting day by the Eastern Naga People’s Organization to press for their demand for autonomy.

Voting for Nagaland’s lone LS seat had taken place Friday, where the contest was between the NDPP’S Chumben Murry, the Congress’s Supongmeren Jamir and Independent Hayithung Tungoe Lotha.

The overall voter turnout in the state when polling closed stood at 56%. When contacted by The Indian Express, Nagaland CEO R Vyasan did not specify how low the voter turnout was in these districts as “data is still trickling in” but said, “going by the overall voter turnout, it appears not much voting has taken place in the region.”

Local reports suggest that no voting took place in the region, following a total shutdown which was called by ENPO beginning from Thursday evening. In 2019, the voter turnout in Nagaland was 83.08%.

The six districts of Eastern Nagaland are Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang. They make up over 30% of the state’ s population and account for 20 of 60 seats in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. On April 18, the Nagaland CEO had issued a show cause notice to the ENPO.

In response sent to the CEO Friday, ENPO president Tsapikiu Sangtam wrote the shutdown was a “voluntary initiative by the people” and ENPO does not have the means to enforce its orders and resolutions and they “operate solely on basis of voluntary participation and consensus among the Eastern Nagaland people.”