Politics / Nagaland

Kohima, May 15: A controversy has erupted in Nagaland following conflicting stands taken by different organisations on celebration of A.Z. Phizo’s birth centenary tomorrow. An A.Z. Phizo Birth Centenary Committee headed by Thepf?lhouvie, who is associated with the Naga National Council (NNC) led by Phizo’s daughter Adinno Phizo, was formed a few months ago. The NSCN (I-M) had opposed the formation of the committee tooth and nail.

The Naga Hoho, which had maintained silence over the issue then, has tried to distance itself from the matter, adding to the confusion. The Hoho, in a statement...

KOHIMA, May 13 – Although the results of election to the lone Partliamentary seat in Nagaland was not announced officially on technical ground, Wangyuh Konyak of Nagaland People’s Front (NPF), a major constituent of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) today emerged with a record margin of over 4,05,000 votes defeating Congress MP in the dissolved Lok Sabha K Asungba Sangtam. Results available from 58 Assembly segments out of the total 60, showed that Wangyuh Konyak polled 6,35,593 votes against 2,31,118 polled by Asungba Sangtam.

Kohima, May 12: The attack on NSCN(K) leader Kughalo Mulatonu in Zunheboto town yesterday was more of a panic reaction from the rival NSCN(I-M) than a premeditated assassination attempt. The ceasefire supervisory board chairman, Lt Gen. (retd) R.V. Kulkarni, said as the NSCN (I-M) activists were taken by surprise by the sudden arrival of the Mulatonu and his team, they panicked and opened fire. “Neither the townspeople nor the NSCN(I-M) knew about the meeting. They suddenly tensed and reacted,” Gen. Kulkarni said.

The NSCN(K) leader, two kilonsers (ministers) and 20 members of the outfit had...

Kohima, May 11: Less than a year after its leaders from Ao-dominated Mokokchung defected to the Isak-Muivah group, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) today found itself further marginalised after its Chang region unit shifted allegiance en bloc to the rival camp.

Sources said NSCN (K) members from the Chang tribe formally joined the Isak-Muivah faction at a reconciliation meeting in Tuensang village. The outfit’s deputy kilonser (minister), Kughalo Mulatonu, got a scare around 4 pm yesterday when bullets fired by suspected NSCN (I-M) members narrowly missed him at Ambolo...

Kohima, May 8: Authorities in Nagaland are suspicious of the high percentage of turnout of citizens to exercise their franchise in the parliamentary polls. Even as rampant proxy voting was recorded in Kohima on polling day by a team of journalists, statistics from other Assembly segments are more surprising.

In Longleng district’s two constituencies, Tamlu and Longleng, over 99.8 per cent voting was recorded. Only 33 persons from the 30,866 electorate in Tamlu have not voted according to the election office records here.

From the 16,790 voters in the Siyuchong-Sitimi Assembly constituency...

KOHIMA, May 6 – NSCN (IM) today refuted allegations that the outfit was involved in the election process in Nagaland but admitted that its cadre might take part in the electioneering at their individual capacity to support or oppose any contending candidate, reports PTI. Large-scale proxy voting, intimidation of voters marked Wednesday’s Lok Sabha polling in the State recording voters turnout at 80 to 85 per cent with Opposition Congress alleging that NSCN (IM) activists were threatening villagers to vote for ruling alliance candidate in the run up to the poll and the polling day.

In a...

Kohima, May 5: At the end, it wasn’t interference by rebels but proxy voting which marred polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland today. The voting percentage is estimated to be around 87. Repoll will be held, probably on May 7, in one polling station in Tuensang district where more votes were cast than the actual number of voters. The polling station has 597 voters on its list but 602 votes were polled, returning officer T.N. Mannen said.

Young proxy voters had a field day, casting votes at random and removing the ink mark on their fingers with Velocity, a solution used by...

KOHIMA, May 5 – Although Nagaland is yet to send a single woman member to the state assembly, there was unbridled enthusiasm among female voters in this hill state where 16 polling stations were being manned by woman officials in today's polling for the lone parliamentary seat here, reports PTI.

Officials sources said there were five all-women polling stations at Kohima and 11 at Dimapur. All women polling stations were introduced on an experimental basis last in last year's assembly elections and the outcome was excellent, said Chief Electoral Officer Lalthara.

An official at the Kohima...

IMPHAL, May 5 – Various social organizations have come out strongly in protest of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s pledge to work towards “integrating all Naga inhabited areas as desired by the Naga people” while addressing an election rally in Dimapur on May 1. Denouncing the former Prime Minister and national president of the Janata Dal (Secular) as an “imperialist agent,” apex Manipur body, All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (amuco) stated, “it is really unfortunate that a political figure of Gowda’s stature should try to pass off the movement for self determination in the North...

KOHIMA, May 5 – Barring stray incidents of proxy voting, minor scuffles among supporters of political parties and damage to electronic voting machines, the election to the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland remained by and large peaceful today, officials said, reports PTI.

The state’s Chief Electoral Officer, Lalthara, and Returning Officer, T N Mannen, in a joint briefing told newsmen that the exercise remained by and large peaceful with Mokokchung and Longleng districts recording over 90 per cent turnout.

In one polling station in Tuensang district, miscreants snatched away the EVM while...