Nagaland ULB elections on May 16

March 10, 2023 73 Views No Comment

Model Code of Conduct comes into effect

Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 10

The Nagaland State Election Commission has notified that elections for Urban Local Bodies (ULB) in Nagaland with 33 percent women’s reservation will be held on May 16.

A notice issued by the State Election Commissioner, T Mhabemo Yanthan informed the schedule for the elections. (See Table)

The notice informed that electoral rolls for the ensuing elections to ULBs in Nagaland have been prepared with reference to January 1, 2022 as the qualifying date and finally published on November 24, 2022. Copies of the electoral roll can be had from the respective Returning Officers of the Municipal Council and Town Councils.

In order to safeguard against ‘personation’ under Rule 54 of the Nagaland Municipal Rules 2003, the State Election Commission has decided that compulsory identification of voters will be made in the ensuing polls. The Commission informed that it would issue separate instructions in this regard.

The notice further stated that with the announcement of the election programme, the Model Code of Conduct for guidance of all political parties and candidates, adopted by the State Election Commission, will come into force with immediate effect within the entire Municipal and Town Council areas going to polls. This will be applicable to all candidates, political parties in the state and the state government machinery.

The elections to the ULBs in Nagaland were last held in 2004, except in Mokokchung. The delaying of elections have had telling impact, as far as funding is concerned, on the two most prominent ULBs in the state— Kohima and Dimapur.

Without elected representatives since 2010, the two Municipal Councils have failed to meet a crucial criterion to be eligible for funding from the Central government.

After the tenure of the last elected Councillors ended, a body of nominated advisors took over the reins of the Municipal Councils in Dimapur and Kohima. This system was later stopped with the state government appointing bureaucrats as the Administrators of the Councils.

The last bid to conduct the elections in February 2017 was met by violent protests from the Naga tribal organisations, resisting reservation of seats for women, forcing the state government to eventually retract.

The protests resulted in two deaths, arson on government property, an arbitrary shutdown of the entire state that lasted half a month and the eventual toppling of the then Chief Minister, who was forced to resign under mounting pressure from the tribal organisations. During the shutdown, all arms of the government machinery, except Home, medical and essential services were paralysed.