State Election Commissioner (SEC) and former DGP Nagaland T John Longkumer said that 82 per cent of the over 2.23 lakh electors had exercised their adult franchise in the civic polls
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
Nagaland state on Saturday saw the vote count of the June 26 elections to the 3 municipalities-Kohima, Mokokchung, and Dimapur, 21 Town Councils where the NDPP has emerged as the overall winner taking 153 seats.
Six districts from the Eastern Nagaland did not participate in the elections.
Spread over 10 districts of the state where the elections were held after almost a gap of 20 years, last being in the year 2004, State Election Commissioner (SEC), and former DGP, Nagaland, T John Longkumer, while addressing media persons in Kohima has told that the counting process was started at 8 a.m in 16 centres to know about the 82 percent of the over 2.23 lakh electors who had exercised their adult franchise in the civic polls which was recently held.
Stating that the ULB and Town Council elections across the state was completed peacefully without any incidents apart from the DMC Ward No 20 polling station No 4 where a person was reportedly seen casting multiple votes, which besides a repoll was conducted and investigation to bring it to an logical end, Longkumer, also informed that a case was registered against the Mokokchung incident following a formal complaint made to the Returning Officer (RO) by the Congress party.
Also, with regard to the recent incident where sitting MLA of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), and advisor, Industries and Commerce Hekani Jakhalu Kense, was seen entering a polling station in Dimapur which went viral in social media though she denied and justified it to some local electronic media channel, Longkumer has made it known that the State Election Commission (SEC) was awaiting “official complaint” from anyone and which was not done.
He, however, said that the matter is being investigated and once the SEC receives the report, the same would be shared with the government for necessary action (s) while also affirming that the Nagaland Municipal Act (NMA) does not permit any person who is not a voter of a particular polling station from entering into the polling station.
Informing that an unopposed NDPP candidate of Chiephobozou Town Council (CTC), identified as Kiyasetuo Kenguruse, being caught with catapult, mud balls, and a walkie-talkie, T John Longkumer, said that law and order is not a subject of the SEC but such issue (s) should be immediately taken up with the respective party concerned while also adding that on the eve of the election, June 25, as a preventive, the security forces have put around 553 individuals on detention from all over the state out of which 300 of them were under Dimapur Commissionerate.
It was also learnt that a weapon was recovered from an abandoned vehicle in Dimapur, for which an investigation was on to identify the culprit (s) while a person was detained on the day of the polling for carrying more than about Rs 2.48 lakh but later on released after being verified that the amount was meant for his business purposes.
Also informing that since the enforcement of the Mode Code of Conduct (MCC) for the ULB and Town Council elections, 21 cases of scuffle, and intimidation was registered, Nagaland state police nodal officer for SEC, Rankathung Vikram Ezung, said that 22 persons were arrested for the same.
Dimapur also witnessed 13 NDPP candidates winning their respective seats out of the 23 wards closely followed by BJP with six seats, and both the Independent and the NPP sharing two seats each.
The Naga Peoples’ Front (NPF) which is being represented by only two MLAs in the NLA from Bhandari, Wokha, and Phek districts held majority seats in both the town council of the districts.
In Bhandari Town Council, the NPF won six seats out of the nine wards with BJP, JDU, and the Independent sharing a seat each, while Phek Town Council (PTC), the NPF won 7 seats out of the nine seats.
Niuland Town Council (NTC) also saw BJP winning six seats out of the nine seats while three seats went to the Independent candidates.
In Kohima, the state capital, the NDPP had earlier won five seats as unopposed out of the 19 wards under KMC, later on eight more were added to after the declaration of the result on Saturday to be in the majority.
Out of the 523 candidates who were in the fray from the 3 three municpals and 24 town councils excluding the Eastern Nagaland districts, the highest number of candidates were for Dimapur Muncipal Council (DMC) with 56 candidates.
64 candidates were declared earlier declared elected as unopposed.
It may be mentioned that Nagaland has 27 councils—3 municipals and 24 town councils.