Nagaland to hold historic civil body polls after 20 years; candidates file nominations

A total of 669 candidates filed their nominations for the elections to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Nagaland that will be held on June 26.

According to the State Election Commission, 669 candidates, including 238 women, filed their nomination papers for the three municipal councils and 36 town councils. Tuesday was the last day for filing of nominations while scrutiny of documents would be taken up on Thursday with June 18 being the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

It is after 20 years that the elections to ULBs are going to take place in the State. It is also historic as this would be the first-ever municipal elections in the State to be held with 33% reservation for women.

The government had announced elections to ULBs several times in the past but objections from tribal bodies and civil society organisations against reservation for women, and tax on land and properties had held back the polls.

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The tribal bodies were asserting that these two provisions infringe on the special rights for Nagaland guaranteed by Article 371(A) of the Constitution.

In 2017, the government had withheld the decision to conduct the election after clashes left two persons dead and several others injured on the eve of the day of voting.

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The clashes also led to the setting ablaze of the Kohima Municipal Council office and government offices in the State capital and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, defying the call of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples' Organization (ENPO) for abstention from the elections, several candidates of the ruling NDPP and BJP have filed nominations, officials said.

ENPO, the apex body of seven Naga tribes living in six eastern districts of the State, has been demanding a 'Frontier Nagaland Territory', claiming that the region has been neglected for years.

The ENPO had also asked people to refrain from participating in the Lok Sabha polls for the lone seat in the State.

The votes for the ULB elections will be counted on June 29.