After a two-decade hiatus, Nagaland is gearing up for its first Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) elections on 26 June 2024. The State Election Commission (SEC) has announced that 523 candidates are vying for positions across three municipal councils and 36 town councils.
Candidate Breakdown and Uncontested Wards
Initially, 669 candidates, including 238 women, filed nominations. However, 79 candidates withdrew their candidatures, and 4 were rejected after scrutiny. Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) has the highest number of aspirants with 56 candidates, followed by Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) with 35 candidates.
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Interestingly, 64 wards had only one contender each and were declared elected unopposed. Chiephobozou Town Council had the highest number of uncontested candidates, with all 9 wards being declared uncontested.
The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) had the highest number of uncontested candidates at 45, followed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with 7.
Eastern Nagaland Abstains from Elections
The six districts of Eastern Nagaland—Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak, and Shamator—will not participate in the elections due to a poll abstention call by the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO). The ENPO has been protesting against the failure to settle the Union government’s offer for the creation of an autonomous Frontier Nagaland Territory.
Despite the ENPO’s call, 61 intending candidates, including 23 women, had filed nominations in Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, and Shamator districts. However, 59 candidates withdrew their papers under pressure from their respective tribal bodies, while two were rejected during scrutiny.
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Election Preparations and Security Measures
State Election Commissioner T John Longkumer informed that over 2.7 lakh voters would be exercising their franchise on 26 June. Voting will commence at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. The security of the ULB elections will be entirely controlled by the Nagaland police, with 108 companies of State security forces, totalling 8,100 personnel.
The SEC expressed confidence that all issues have been resolved amicably among all stakeholders. The State is facing a shortage of ballot boxes and has been helped by the Arunachal Pradesh Government.
The SEC also took suo moto cognisance of concerns regarding non-Naga indigenous people contesting the election and decided that the matter needs to be dealt with by the State Government.
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A Historic Moment for Nagaland
As Nagaland prepares for its first ULB elections in 20 years, with 33% reservation for women for the first time, the State Election Commission and the government are taking all necessary measures to ensure incident-free and peaceful elections.
The Northeast and the entire country are closely watching the state, and the SEC has appealed for calm and belief in the process of law, urging all to abjure all forms of violence.
This historic moment marks a significant step towards local governance and women’s representation in Nagaland’s political landscape. The successful conduct of these elections will not only strengthen democracy at the grassroots level but also pave the way for inclusive development in the state.
