Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 14
The Nagaland government has given its approval for state funding of elections. Planning and Coordination Minister and President of the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) Dr Shürhozelie today said, “We have no objection to state funding (of elections).” While noting that the concept is good, the legislator questioned, “Will people follow it?” The government had earlier replied to the Centre accepting Delhi’s intention, he said. The NPF was one among the 44 political parties to be invited to the nation’s capital to attend a meeting called by the Election Commission on February 15 to discuss the issue. Shürhozelie had entrusted NPF Secretary General Chubatemjen to attend the meeting. However, the representative could not make it to Delhi because of the cancellation of Guwahati flights. The Party with the highest number of seats in the assembly had earlier taken a decision on whether to support state funding in its Central Executive Committee (CEC) discussions.
The Centre’s Election Commission (EC) has called a meeting of recognised national and state political parties at Delhi for February 15 to elicit their views on the proposal of the government over state funding of elections.
The Commission asked the political parties to send their views on the recommendations of the Union Cabinet in this regard by January 31.
It has invited the views from six national recognised and 44 state recognised parties.
The national parties have been asked to nominate two representatives while state recognised parties have been told to nominate one for the meeting, the sources said.
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting on December 22, decided to refer the proposal of state funding of elections to the EC with a view to building consensus on the issue.
The government has sought the EC’s views on extending facilities like rent-free accommodation to each recognized political party, free telephone calls during polls, printing papers, and petrol and diesel in certain quantities to each candidate of recognised political parties.
