Polling booths in eastern Nagaland wear deserted look amid shutdown call

KOHIMA: Six districts of eastern Nagaland wore a deserted look on Friday as people stayed indoors following an indefinite shutdown call by the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), an apex body of the seven tribal organisations of the area, to press for its demand for a separate state.

Sources said while the situation is peaceful, there is no movement of any person or vehicles except that of the district administration and other emergency services.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer of Nagaland Awa Loring said election officials are stationed in the 738 polling stations in the six districts of the region.

Sources added there was no voter turnout till 11am. Polling comes to an end at 4pm.

These districts are occupied by seven Naga tribes – Chang, Konyak, Sangtam, Phom, Yimkhiung, Khiamniungan and Tikhir. Their demand for separate statehood is also supported by a section of Sumi tribe belonging to the region.

The ENPO on March 5 had announced an "indefinite total shutdown all over Eastern Nagaland jurisdiction with effect from 6pm on April 18 (Thursday)".

The organisation has been demanding a separate state since 2010, claiming that the six districts have been neglected for years.

Of the 13.25 voters in Nagaland, the six districts in Eastern Nagaland have 4,00,632 voters.

Meanwhile, Nagaland CEO Vayasan R, while viewing the bandh as an attempt to exert undue influence during elections, had issued a show cause notice to the ENPO on Thursday night.

He said under sub-section (1) of Section 171C of the Indian Penal Code, "Whoever voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right commits the offence of undue influence at an election."