A Recap of the Politics in Nagaland and Meghalaya Heading Up to the Polls

According to a report from ADR and the Nagaland Election Watch, recontesting MLAs had an average increase of 41% in their assets as compared with 2013. The highest increase (500%) was noted in NPF candidate and former Road and Bridges Minister, Vikheho Swu. In second place is former Home Minister and JD(U) candidate, G. Kaito Aye with an increase of 305%. NPF’s Yitachu saw an increase in assets of 161%. The report also mentioned that 59% of the candidates had net assets of Rs. 1 crore. Another interesting feature of the present elections is that all the parties contesting included building and maintaining roads as one of their campaign promises. The promises range from linkages to trans-border roads, improving existing infrastructure, building flyovers and bypass roads, as well as new roads to connect remote areas.

The NPF has trained its barbs on the BJP-NDPP alliance stating that it was the NPF that had effectively kept the BJP out of Nagaland. The NPF then took a shot at Neiphiu Rio, the Chief Ministerial candidate of the NDPP, stating that when he was in the NPF he had brought all the BJP legislators to the NPF camp twice, once in 2004 and the next in 2008. The NPF alleged that after doing so, Rio had sent a letter to Sonia Gandhi stating that he had uprooted the BJP from Nagaland. They even speculated that Rio would do the same after the polls and seek to bring the BJP MLAs to the NDPP. At present, the NPF has entered a coalition agreement with the NPP. The NPP, on the other hand, is in alliance with the BJP in Manipur, whereas the NPF looks likely to pull out of that alliance. The NPP has no alliance with the BJP in Nagaland nor in Meghalaya. The NDPP and the BJP have refuted rumours that the two parties would merge. NDPP stated that they were confident that their alliance would gain an absolute majority. The INC is contesting 18 seats in the 60 member house, and has stated that they are confident of winning ‘a dozen seats’.

Election violence has spiked in several areas with section 144 CrPC being imposed in the whole of Mokokchung, Longleng, and Phek districts. As well as in Tseminyu subdivision of Kohima district and Dhansiripar of Dimapur district. Though some of the incidents involved bombs and firearms being used, there has been no evidence of the involvement of the NNPGs. Instead, these are clashes between supporters of rival candidates.

In Meghalaya, the death of Jonathone Sangma in an IED attack has resulted in the polls for Williamnagar constituency to be deferred. In the remaining 59 constituencies, the parties in the fray have been at each other’s throats. The INC has routinely accused the NPP of being a BJP puppet, and the BJP of being anti-minorities and anti-tribal. The BJP has attacked the Congress on the age-old issue of corruption, including the scandal involving a minor in a hotel owned by the son of a Congress MLA. The NPP, too, has attacked the Congress on the issue of corruption. The only prepoll alliance in Meghalaya is between three state parties, Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPD), United Democratic Party (UDP) and Garo National Council (GNC). All the other parties are contesting independently of each other. While the national parties battle on the record each other has in other states, the state parties took shots at the others over issues of history, regarding which personality belonged to which party and achieved what.

Apart from the IED attack on NCP candidate Jonathone Sangma, another incident of poll-related violence took place when an RPF constable opened fire on his commanding officer allegedly because he was not given leave. This was in connection with the security presence for the elections. Though there have not been as many instances of poll-related violence as in Nagaland, over 1 crore Rupees has been seized by teams on election duty. 30,000 litres of liquor have also been seized, as well as 87 children’s watches from an NCP candidate from South Shillong. The Election Commission has also been receiving numerous complaints of bribery from across the state.