Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has reaffirmed its decision to abstain from the forthcoming polls to Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) scheduled to be held on June 26,2024 for town and municipal councils.
It may be recalled that ENPO had also abstained from participation in the recently concluded Lok Sabha poll on April 19. The decision was made after a marathon four-hour long coordination meeting of Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) along with affiliated eight tribal bodies was held Tuesday, at tourist lodge, Dimapur.
ENPO president R. Tsapikiu Sangtam who briefed media after the meeting shared insights on the meeting’s outcomes, highlighting its focus on the upcoming Urban and Local Bodies election scheduled for June 26, 2024.
He informed that the house reaffirmed its stand to “abstain” from involvement in the forthcoming urban and local bodies election and reaffirmed the “unanimous resolution” adopted at Chenmoho village on February 23, 2024.
Sangtam also clarified that the ENPO stand was not to “boycott” but to “abstain” from partaking in the upcoming ULB polls and that it will be sending a written note to the election commission in this regard.
Sangtam said that the people of Eastern Nagaland will not participate in any Central or State Elections in protest against the failure to settle the Government of India’s offer for creation of Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) through the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Asked whether people from ENPO residing in Dimapur will also abstain from the polls, Sangtam mentioned that ENPO has not formally issued any such directive for ENPO people in Dimapur to take any specific action regarding its stand. He said individuals in Dimapur were welcome to voluntarily choose to extend their support in solidarity with ENPO’s demands.
Sangtam said ENPO also reaffirmed its commitment to the resolutions for FNT, adding the organization will continue to pursue the demands till they were addressed. Sangtam maintained that while the central government had made promises regarding the FNT, it was now the responsibility of the state government to respond. He said the state government’s stance will determine the next steps in the process.
Sangtam acknowledged that ENPO had received a highlight of the draft resolution prepared by the central government but awaited the official draft. He mentioned that the content of the draft resolution and its provisions for the FNT have not been fully disclosed yet.
He described the proposed arrangement for the FNT, as something falling between an autonomous council and a union territory and the unique arrangement was intended to address the concerns of both the central and state governments.
Sangtam expressed disappointment with the lack of response from both the central and state governments regarding the draft resolution and emphasized the need for a constructive response to move forward with negotiations.
Sangtam clarified that while ENPO has opted for abstention from elections as a form of protest, they are not boycotting democracy, instead, ENPO was exercising the right to abstain from participation as a means of expressing their grievances.