Nagaland government appeals to Naga body to allow Lok Sabha polls

KOHIMA: The Nagaland government appealed to the Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO), not to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections due on April 19 to the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state on Saturday. ENPO had been demanding a separate administration or state comprising six Nagaland districts, since 2010 claiming that these eastern Nagaland districts faced negligence for years. They had earlier announced a boycott of the Lok Sabha elections to press for its demands.

According to the officials, the council of ministers of the Nagaland government held a meeting with the Eastern Nagaland Legislative Union (ENLU) members and discussed ENPO's demands for which they started the ongoing agitations since March 8.

"At the meeting, the ENLU members briefed the state Cabinet on their recent visit to Delhi and the meeting with the ENPO in Tuensang on Thursday. The issue of participation in the parliamentary elections and ensuring the representation of all the voices within the political process was also discussed," a Nagaland government official told the media.

He said that the Cabinet and ENLU members, after thorough deliberations, unanimously decided to extend a sincere appeal to the ENPO, urging it not to abstain from the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but to participate in the polls and complete the democratic duty for the greater benefit of the region and its constituencies.

The meeting further noted that upon the installation of a new government at the Centre, a conducive atmosphere will be created for further negotiations on ENPO's demands, the official said.

During the nine-hour closed-door coordination meeting with the 20 MLAs of the ENLU and various other organizations, the ENPO leaders reiterated their call to boycott the April 19 Lok Sabha elections in the state. An ENPO spokesman warned that they would continue with the 'public emergency', which began on March 8 in the eastern part of Nagaland.

To bring a ceasefire this critical anti-democratic situation, the BJP, which is a part of the United Democratic Alliance government in Nagaland, had already requested the ENPO for a dialogue with the centre to resolve their demand for a separate state.

The ENPO had given a call to boycott last year's Assembly elections, but later withdrew it following an assurance from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The Union Home Ministry formed a three-member committee last year to study ENPO's demands, and since then the panel had visited Nagaland several times to sensibly discuss on this matter. (IANS)

Also Read: Nagaland: ENPO, ENLU Convene in Tuensang amidst Ongoing Strike (sentinelassam.com)

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