Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 10
The Langpangkong Students’ Conference (LKM) on September 10 asserted that the recently launched Clean Election Campaign will not remain a mere pledge on paper. As pledged by 19 villages and as many as 15 town-units falling within the traditional jurisdiction of Langpangkong range, Mokokchung on September 3, the LKM officials maintained that the campaign is here to stay and will carry on till its stated principles and objective become a precedent.
“The whole concept is to let the people understand the power of voting to elect representatives of their choice,” said the LKM today at a media interaction in Dimapur. Engineering a turnaround of the general impression towards electioneering by directly involving grass root leaders (village councils) is at the heart of the campaign.
And by voting, it maintained, exercising one’s franchise will not be out of coercion or for personal material gain but out of measured freewill. Three Assembly Constituencies – 22 Arkakong, 21 Tuli and 24 Angetyongpang – falls under Langpangkong.
Though a daunting task, the LKM said that it will use all avenues and resources available to reach out to as many individuals as possible. Stating that it has the endorsement of the churches, village councils, students and women’s bodies of the range, the LKM said that it is already in the process of sensitising the people of the range on the tenets of the campaign.
The resolution adopted and the subsequent pledge of September 3 is intended to address the many unethical practices that take place with impunity during electioneering. Proxy/bogus voting, vote selling, use of violent and coercive tactics by employing NPG cadres, practice of villages declaring candidates of choice, grouping individuals to demand money, booth capturing and public and church leaders turning a blind eye are some of the issues the campaign seeks to address.
Besides these issues, the LKM said that clearing up the electors’ roll is high on the agenda. The village councils will also be discouraged from issuing diktats to its members who have names registered in the towns or in another constituency to compulsorily register in the native village, it added.
One motivating initiative of the campaign involves organising public meetings in the run up to the election, where intending candidates would be given a common podium to interact with the people.
“We believe that the resolutions adopted will challenge the conscience of the candidates as well as the electors.” While urging villages to honestly declare if there is any instance of inflated electors’ roll, the LKM expressed optimism that the people will cooperate wholeheartedly.
“We hope this spark will go beyond Langpangkong,” the LKM said, while adding that it intends to approach the ECI with the initiative.
