National

Nagaland goes to polls today

GUWAHATI: Two months after the imposition of President’s Rule, Nagaland is going to the polls on Wednesday amid unprecedented security. Vigil has been intensified to ensure a free and fair poll.

Apart from a 21,000-strong State police force, 168 companies of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed all over the State. The Army and the Assam Rifles have been carrying area domination exercises to check movement of cadres of underground outfits.

During the past 10 days, security forces have apprehended 70 persons, including 38 militants, and recovered from them three AK-47s, one AK-56, six pistols, one U.S. carbine, besides .22 rifles.

Over 13 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise to elect a 60-member new House from among 218 candidates, including four women candidates.

A day ahead of polling the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) accused Congress president Sonia Gandhi of “breaching the unconditional terms” which the outfit claimed had “set off the Indo-Naga political talks 10 years ago and with more than 60 rounds of talks, where the historically supported proposals of the Nagas had been tabled.”

Reacting to a statement made by Ms. Gandhi during a Congress election rally at Dimapur on March 1, that “the Constitution of India has enough space to resolve the Naga problem,” the NSCN(I-M) alleged in a statement that “Ms. Gandhi’s approach is archaic and unfair and needs immediate changing. Otherwise, her injudicious remark is to be treated as a matter of serious insult to the Nagas.”

The Congress has put candidates in all the 60 seats, the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) in 56, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 23, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in eight, the Janata Dal (United) in three, the Janata Dal (Secular) in four and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in 25 constituencies.

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