Zero voter turnout in 6 Nagaland districts over separate state demand

Zero voter turnout in 6 Nagaland districts over separate state demand

Nagaland voted in a single phase for the lone Lok Sabha seat on Friday. However, six districts in the northeastern state saw no voter turnout as people abstained from voting over the demand for a separate state.

The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) had urged people in six districts of the region to not vote in the elections as form of protest.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Nagaland Awa Loring said election officials were stationed in the 738 polling stations in the six districts of the region.

The six districts has over 4 lakh voters. They chose to show solidarity with ENPO and remained indoors on polling day. Till 1 pm, there was no voter turnout in the six districts.

The ENPO has been demanding separate statehood – Frontier Nagaland – since 2010. It said that its area comprising six districts of Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamatore and Noklak has been neglected on all fronts. The ENPO area has 20 seats in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly.

The ENPO comprises of seven tribal bodies of Nagaland.

The ENPO, which is demanding a separate state carved out of Nagaland, declared a “public emergency” in six districts, stating that it would not allow any political party to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls.

Ahead of the polls, the ENPO had declared a “public emergency” in six districts, stating that it would not allow any political party to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls.   Â

“In view of the Government of India delaying to settle the offer for creation of Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) through the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Tribal Bodies and Frontal Organisations hereby declare Public Emergency all over Eastern Nagaland with immediate effect,” it said in a statement.