Kohima:
Polling personnel waited for nine hours at the booths in six eastern districts of Nagaland for the Lok Sabha elections (2024), but not a single one of the four lakh voters in the area came to vote. The bandh was called to put pressure on the demand for ‘Frontier Nagaland Territory’. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday said the state government has no problem with the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization’s demand for FNT as it has already recommended autonomous powers for the region. ENPO is the apex body of seven tribal organizations of the eastern region.
Officials said there is no movement of people or vehicles on the roads of eastern Nagaland except for the district administration and other emergency services.
Nagaland Additional Chief Electoral Officer Aava Loring said polling personnel were present from 7 am to 4 pm at 738 polling stations in the region, which includes 20 assembly constituencies. Sources in the CEO office said that no one came to vote in those nine hours. Besides, 20 MLAs also did not exercise their franchise.
Of the 13.25 lakh voters in Nagaland, there are 4,00,632 voters in six districts of Eastern Nagaland.
After casting his vote in his village Tauphema, about 41 km from the state capital, the Chief Minister said that he has accepted the draft working paper for FNT, which was handed over to him in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “Everything seems to be fine with the elected MLAs and members of the proposed FNT except their share in power,” he said.
ENPO demands a separate state with 6 districts
ENPO is demanding a separate state consisting of six districts. He also alleges that the governments have not made social and economic development in this area.
However, the Chief Minister said that the state government has already recommended an autonomous body so that the region can get an adequate economic package at par with the rest of the state.
