Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 19
Aoyimti Clean Election Committee in collaboration with Aoyimti Village Council and Aoyimti Baptist Church organized a ‘Common Platform’ for candidates of 4-Ghaspani-I A/C at the village local ground on February 19.
All four candidates including N Jacob Zhimomi (BJP), Z Kasheto Yeptho (Independent), Akavi N Zhimomi (AAP) and Nagavito Sumi (INC) attended the common platform held under the banner “Come now, and let us reason together.”
The candidates explained why they decided to contest in the ensuing assembly election, shared their visions and objectives and what they would do for the constituency if they were elected. For Akavi Zhimomi of Aam Aadmi Party, his main vision in joining the electoral fray is to bring “change” not only in sense of development but also the whole election system in Nagaland. Akavi said in the present scenario, only the moneyed and powerful class contest election and this has become deeply embedded in Naga society. “Whatever money they spent during election, they try to recover after getting elected and so we do not see any development. We also talk of clean election but only corrupt candidates get elected”, he said.
Admitting that he was a poor candidate, the AAP candidate assured that given a chance to represent his constituency people in the assembly, he would do his level best to bring development with special focus on empowerment of the youth. “I cannot make tall promises. I am my own manifesto”, he declared.
Independent candidate Kasheto Yeptho said the main focus of his entire election campaign is along the line of NBCC’s “Clean election” slogan. He also said that for too long, elections in Nagaland were only about money power and family or clan influence and impressed on the need to change such mindsets if Nagas want real progress and development. If elected, the Independent candidate said he would ensure all round development of the constituency.
He also said his commitment in joining politics was to serve the grassroot people and to be a voice of the poor and downtrodden.
Nagavito of the INC too concurred that if the Clean Election campaign is implemented by all concerned in full spirit, then “our future is in safe hands” as only the sincere, honest, capable and dedicated leaders would be elected. Stating that he was contesting the election with the main objectives of empowering the youth and to fight against corruption, the INC candidate was also of the view that elected leaders should always remain loyal to their political party and not switch parties for opportunistic gains.
Nagavito further pledged that if elected, he would maintain 100 percent transparency in LADF and spare no pains to ensure development of his constituency.
BJP candidate Jacob Zhimomi, who also represented the constituency in the 12th Nagaland legislative assembly, admitted that during his last tenure, he might not have fulfilled the expectations of his constituency people in regard to development. He said there were many factors that came in the way of fulfilling people’s aspirations and expectations including the frequent change of guards in the NPF-led DAN government, where he also took oath of office and secrecy for record four times. Jacob who got elected as an Independent also confessed that an Independent MLA was like an “orphan” and had no much say. The BJP candidate also said one major problem getting in way of development was the electorate themselves, implying favours asked from candidates during election time. He however assured that given another chance to represent the constituency, he would fulfill all the aspirations of the people as laid down in the State BJP’s manifesto.
It may be mentioned that 4-Ghaspani-I A/C is the biggest assembly constituency in Nagaland with 65,000 plus voters.
