Eastern Nagaland MLAs urge public to participate in Lok Sabha elections, refrain from abstaining

KOHIMA: A day after the Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO) restated its decision not to participate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections until their demand for a separate state from Nagaland is met, all 20 legislators from the eastern part of the state urged the public to vote in the elections.

The Eastern Nagaland Legislators Union (ENLU) stated on Tuesday evening that they understand people's frustration about the Frontier Nagaland Territory demand not being met.

However, they believe that not participating in the Lok Sabha polls would obstruct the progress of the negotiations.

The only Lok Sabha seat in the state will be contested on April 19th.

The ENLU said, “Now that we know the current status of the Frontier Nagaland Territory through a working paper, let's be practical and forward-thinking with good intentions. To uphold our rights, we must fulfill our duties.”

The Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) had stated that it would safeguard citizens of the region from any negative consequences for choosing not to vote as part of their voluntary abstention decision.

Earlier, Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) President R. Tsapikiu Sangtam on Monday clarified that the people of eastern Nagaland, comprising six districts, would not "boycott" the coming Lok Sabha elections but "abstain" from the electoral process.

He said that there would be no obstruction to polling and election-related official and other activities in the six districts, despite the decision of eastern Nagaland's people to abstain from casting their ballots in the April 19 election to the state's sole Lok Sabha seat.

Sangtam, while talking to the media, said that though the normal polling process would continue in all the ENPO areas, the public would abstain from the electoral process.

He reiterated the ENPO's call to the people of the eastern region to stand in solidarity with the decision taken earlier.

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