Al Ngullie
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 3
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has plainly told political parties in Nagaland that the 2013 Assembly Elections for the State would be ‘go ahead as scheduled’ and suggestively, it would be before March 28 that the commission shall be announcing the dates for polling.
Top officials of the ECI met with leaders of political parties in Nagaland, principally the Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the opposition Indian National Congress (INC), among others, during a closed-door meeting in the afternoon of January 3, in Chumukedima, Dimapur.
Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath and election commissioners HS Brahma and Sayed Nasim, accompanied a host of other ECI officials, are in Nagaland on a two-day visit. The visit of the ECI is said to be a review of “poll-preparedness” in Nagaland for the State’s assembly polls.
Nagaland’s top election administrator has confirmed that the ECI officials has categorically told the political parties that preparations for the assembly polls to Nagaland’s 12th Legislative Assembly are already in full swing. Statements from the source suggested that the ECI did not speculate about a political solution out of the ongoing Government of India-NSCN (IM) talks for now.
However, the statements the ECI gave to the political parties attending the meeting was that the polls would go ahead accordingly with the preparations. In other words, the polls will ‘go ahead as scheduled’ and as provided for by the provisions of the Constitution, Chief Electoral Officer Jane Alam, told The Morung Express tonight.
Neither the visiting ECI officials nor leaders of the NPF and Congress party could be reached for comment. Nonetheless, Chief Electoral Officer of Nagaland Jane Alam interacted with this daily and gave insights into today’s meeting.
“The Election Commission of India has categorically told the political parties that the elections will go ahead as scheduled,” Alam told this reporter. When queried when the polls would be announced Alam simply said “we don’t know.” The official also said only the ECI has knowledge about when the polls for Nagaland would be announced. Nonetheless, he suggested that the elections would be announced before March 28.
Further, J Alam, also Home Commissioner, said the ECI officials would be meeting with Nagaland State officials including new Chief Secretary Alemtemshi Jamir and others, district administrators and poll officers on January 4 in Dimapur before the visitors leave.
Interacting on a related matter, Alam has said that the State’s Electoral Roll, comprising the photo electoral roll facility as well, is now complete. The compilation of the electoral details and associated processes has been complete, he said, and by January 10 the department of Election will start printing it.
Talking about the high-profile visit of the ECI, the CEO of Nagaland said they came to asses the “poll-preparedness” before the elections are announced, if at all, before or in March. The ECI came to assess details and processes associated with the polls, such as the “condition of EVMs (Electronic Voting machines), their number and envisaged additional requirements,” poll officers and administration and such, he said.
