Kohima, Feb 26 () Triangular to multi-cornered contests are on the cards in 59 of the 60 Nagaland Assembly constituencies, which go to the polls on Monday under a massive security measure.
BJP candidate Kazheto Kinimi was re-elected unopposed from the Akuluto Assembly constituency after his only opponent and Congress nominee Khekashe Sumi withdrew his candidature on the last day of the withdrawal of nominations on February 10.
The voting would start at 7 a.m. in the morning and it would continue till 4 p.m. without any break in 16 districts.
Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Shashank Shekhar said that over 11,500 polling staff accompanied by security personnel have already reached 2,315 polling stations in 59 Assembly constituencies.
According to the election officials, around 13 lakh voters, including 6,55,144 women would decide the electoral fate of 183 candidates, including four women nominees in Monday’s elections.
In the 2018 Assembly polls, 190 candidates, including five women, had contested the elections.
To ensure a free, fair and incident-free election, the Union Home Ministry, at the request of the state government, has provided 305 companies of Central Armed Police Force, while the state security forces have also been deployed across the mountainous state.
In all, 12 political parties comprising national and state parties are in the fray.
The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is contesting the election on 40 seats while its partner the BJP has fielded candidates on 20 seats.
The Congress has given tickets to 23 candidates, while the Naga People’s Front is contesting 22 seats.
Other parties, including the RJD, Ram Vilas Paswan faction of the LJP, National People’s Party headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, and the NCP are also in the fray.
There are 19 independent candidates in the fray as well.
Chief Minister and senior NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio (Northern Angami-II), Deputy Chief Minister and BJP legislature party leader Yanthungo Patton (Tyui), former Chief Minister Taditui Rangkau Zeliang (Peren) Nagaland unit BJP president Temjen Imna Along (Alongtaki), Nagaland Congress president Kewekhape Therie (Dimapur) are seeking re-elections.
Non settlement of decades old Naga political imbroglio, demand for a separate state ‘Frontier Nagaland’ – unemployment, illegal drug peddling and menace, besides various anti-incumbency factors are the main issues in the elections.
Votes in Nagaland would be counted on March 2 along with Meghalaya and Tripura.
sc/dpb