ENPO to boycott assembly polls

Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has thrown a spanner in the works by declaring a boycott to the scheduled State Assembly elections expected to be held in the early part of 2023 or speculated to be held by end of 2022.
There are 20 assembly constituencies under Tuensang- 4, Mon-9, Longleng-2, Kiphire-2, Noklak-2 and Shamator-1. The ruling NDPP (after 21 NPF legislators merged with it), has 15 MLAs while BJP has four and one Independent.
If the boycott takes effect, it would mean a constitutional crisis on one hand and also a big setback for the NDPP. However, in the present political scenario, NDPP is the dominant party with a total of 42 MLAs in a house of 60. BJP has 12, NPF 4 and two Independents.
The threat to boycott the assembly election is to press for the ENPO demand for a separate Frontier Nagaland State. A decision to this effect was taken at a joint consultative meeting held on August 26 at Hotel Saramati Dimapur attended by ENPO functionaries, selected leaders from Eastern Nagaland, Talk team members and seven tribal bodies and frontal organizations.
In a statement issued by ENPO, the house, after a day-long deliberation on the issue of its demand for a separate state, unanimously resolved that “people of Eastern Nagaland shall not participate in any election process of the State and Central” unless their demand for a separate State– “Frontier Nagaland” was fulfilled, as demanded by the people of Eastern Nagaland.
According to ENPO, the seven tribal bodies– Chang Khulei Setshang, Khiamniungan Tribal Council, Konyak Union, Phom People’s Council, United Sangtam Likhum Pumji, Tikhir Tribal Council and Yimkhiung Tribal Council have been endorsed to mobilise support at the grassroots to ensure that the decision was implemented.
It may be recalled that the ENPO during its joint consultative meeting held at Konyak Community Centre Dimapur on May 27, reaffirmed the October 13, 2021 representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request him and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for approval and early declaration of Frontier Nagaland in the event of the much-anticipated Naga political solution getting delayed or if there was any unexpected prolonged delay in the negotiations.
It may also be mentioned that the ENPO on August 9 held public rallies across six districts– Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak and Shamator to press for creation of ‘Frontier Nagaland’ state, and submitted memorandum containing three-point resolution to the PM through their respective DCs..