Morung Express News
Yanglok village (Longleng) | May 9
Yanglok village (Longleng) | May 9
Three hundred and two (302) voters in Yanglok village will exercise their franchise on May 10, Saturday, in a makeshift polling station at Polling Station 1 under 49 Tamlu Assembly Constituency. The villagers were supposed to cast their votes along with the rest of the State on April 9 for the Lok Sabha seat from Nagaland. However, the polling station, which is the LP School, Ladigarh has been occupied by the Assam Police, who refused to vacate the school and disallowed voting on April 9.
The Election Commission of India directed that polling be held on May 10, but asked the CEO Nagaland to establish a polling station in “some alternative place” so that the villagers can exercise their franchise. The Yanglok Village Council chairman Shingnyu Phom informed this evening that the villagers have prepared a “makeshift polling station in the jungle” this evening. When asked if there is provision for electricity and other amenities, the chairman simply said there is none. “What can you get in the jungle?”
Interestingly, the villagers exercised their franchise during the 2013 Assembly Elections in a ‘makeshift polling station’ too. They could not exercise their franchise in 2009 LS Elections for the same reason: The Assam Police refused to allow the Nagaland election officials to use the LP School, Ladigarh – the designated polling station – for election purposes.
Meanwhile, officials from the district administration and police from both the districts of Mokokchung and Longleng, and also top bureaucrats from Kohima are stationed at Yanglok to oversee the smooth conduct of the polls tomorrow. An official disclosed that adequate security has been arranged in case of any eventuality. Though it remains uncertain how the polls will go on Saturday, all eyes are on Polling Station 1 49 Tamlu A/C because it involves not only an election issue but also the border issue between the two sister states of Nagaland and Assam.
