“The verdict in this edition of the general elections, more than ever before, will have far-reaching consequences, even up to the extent of affecting the inclusive spirit of the Constitution which has so far managed to delicately hold together the idea of India,” said the Congress candidate
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
As the 18th Lok Sabha elections are just around the corner and Nagaland is going to the poll for the lone seat on April 19, the Indian National Congress (INC) and INDI Alliance’s consensus candidate S Supongmeren Jamir on Wednesday reached out to all legislators, former parliamentarians, former candidates, village council leaders and the elders of Nagaland. Issuing a press statement addressing them, he said, “As one of the candidates in the fray, I feel bound by my commitment to my constituency to seek your kind consideration in a matter of great bipartisan importance.”
S Supongmeren Jamir stated that the INC & INDIA believed that the verdict in this edition of the general elections, more than ever before, will have far-reaching consequences, even up to the extent of affecting the inclusive spirit of the Constitution which has so far managed to delicately hold together the idea of India.
“Be assured that this apprehension does not come from a place of baseless rhetoric or wilful dishonesty, but stems from its shared experiences of the past ten years which have been at the very best a painful era of unprecedented socio-economic distress and injustices, with damning assaults on the rights of the religious minority communities having become the order of the day,” he maintained.
It was in the face of these circumstances that we seek to place an appeal before the good offices, with an ardent plea to use every agency at your disposal to create a free and fair voting environment and offer the opportunity to each voter in the state to have a free say in choosing the trajectory of their destinies at this crucial juncture of their lives, he said.
“We keep faith in the weight of your prayers, and expect only the most positive of interventions from your end, because we simply can’t afford the possibility of anything otherwise,” S Supongmeren Jamir added.
Recently, the Rising People’s Party (RPP) has also made a clarion call to the people of Nagaland to rise above “partisan politics” and to vote for Congress candidate, Supongmeren, for the ensuing 18th Lok Sabha election scheduled for April 19 in Nagaland by stating that Nagas have been harping on for a “change” and for which it said the 18th Lok Sabha elections would be the right time for the people of Nagaland to set an example by coming to the forefront “en masse” to elect a good leader to represent the Nagas.
Stating that unlike state assembly elections which are won or lost on the grounds of money power, village, range, and tribal politics, RPP felt that the ensuing Lok Sabha election should set the tone that Naga voters are progressive-mindful of the fact that the people and poor centric ideology and good leaders matter for the well-being of the state or the country.
Though RPP is not fielding its candidate in the ensuing Lok Sabha election, it informed that the party has decided to support the candidature of the Congress party as according to the party, the Congress is a “Pan-India Party”, and fighting for the “soul India” which is inclusivity and diversity, and though regional in outlook, the RPP shares the same ideology and principles with the Congress when it comes to “inclusivity and decency in politics”.
The RPP also mentioned that in this battle of ideologies for the “idea of India”, the party felt that the Congress is also best placed to lead the “battle” in the state and the fact that setting up an RPP candidate would split the “anti-fascist, anti-PDA votes” rendering both the parties weakened for future electoral battles ahead, particularly 2028 state general elections.
It went on to appeal to all its party workers and sympathizers to support the Congress candidate, Supongmeren, at a time such as this when “insanity and hopelessness” prevail.
RPP further added that the outcome of this election would also be a referendum for and against the PDA government by highlighting that in the last NLA election held in 2023, the opposition-less PDA government garnered 95.29 per cent of the total votes cast in the state.
The Lok Sabha election being a “truer gauge” of people’s feelings, the RPP has appealed to every single voter to come out of their comfort zone and to vote against the PDA government which according to the party has failed on every developmental parameter thereby creating a “failed state”.
It may be mentioned that the ensuing 18th Lok Sabha elections slated for April 19 in Nagaland will witness a head-to-head contest between the two senior political leaders of the State vying for the lone parliamentary seat between the Congress state unit president, and former MLA, S Supongmeren Jamir, geared up to take on People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA)’s consensus candidate, Dr Chumben Murry in the race.
Dr Chumben Murry, who is supported by the BJP, has the distinction of being actively involved in different social activities, since his voluntary retirement to contest in the 11th NLA election in 2008 from 38 Wokha A/C on the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket.