Dimapur, February 25 (MExN): The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has reportedly lodged complaints with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Nagaland for immediate intervention to ensure free and fair polling in the 21 Tuli Assembly Constituency, Mokokchung district. The party has fielded Amenba Yaden, against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate A Pangjung Jamir.
In a press release received here on Saturday, Limatemjen, the Election Agent for the NCP candidate, stated that the complaint was filed as a result of various incidents including the alleged involvement of members of the NSCN (IM) as well as a ‘diktat’ reportedly issued by the Kangtsung Senso Mungdang (Kangtsung Village Citizens' Forum) declaring Jamir as the consensus candidate.
The release alleged that “heavily armed” functionaries led by one Col (retired) Subomeren Lemtur, who is a Kilonser and Steering Committee member, of the NSCN (IM) went to Anaki village on February 24 and “started harassing the Village Council Chairman and other citizens intimidating them to coerce the entire electors of the village to support BJP candidate from 21 Tuli AC, A Pangjung Jamir.”
The armed miscreants were later chased away by the youth of the village, the release claimed. According to it, the BJP candidate is accused of funding NSCN factions in the past when he was the Drawing and Disbursing Officer of the Directorate of Land Resources, Nagaland, and an NIA case is pending against him.
While a declaration to this effect was published in the local newspapers by the State Party President, as a mandatory requirement insisted by ECI, “the acts perpetrated today goes on to prove the fact that the BJP candidate had invested in the past through terror funding in order to garner support by using the underground factions to forcibly win the election through violent means,” it alleged. It also alleged the same group of resorting to similar tactics in other places of the constituency.
Further, the release held that the ‘diktat’ Kangtsung Senso Mungdang amounts to violation of Election guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India. Apprehending violence on account of the alleged actions, it said that the NCP filed complaint with the CEO seeking for immediate intervention to ensure free and fair polling.
Meanwhile, the CEO, Nagaland did not respond to request for comment on the allegation.
