‘Nagaland and Arunachal two biggest spenders in elections’
Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 4
With campaigning on for the upcoming Assembly elections in Manipur and Nagaland also set for polls in early 2023, the National People’s Party (NPP) has started the groundwork in the state. “You are well aware the (Nagaland) Assembly election is round the corner and this is one of the reasons why I am here. I am here to take stock of the ground situation, of the organizational structure also and at the same time seeing how our strategy can be fine tuned for the coming Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) elections,” said the NPP’s National General Secretary, Mutchu Mithi during a stopover in Dimapur on February 4 en route to Manipur.
Mithi, who was a one-time Congress MLA from Arunachal Pradesh’s Roing Assembly constituency, before retaining the seat as an NPP candidate in 2019, also holds charge as the state’s NPP unit President. Mithi was confident of making a mark again in Nagaland despite its two MLAs, who won in the 2018 polls, switching allegiance to merge with the Neiphiu Rio-led NDPP.
According to him, the NPP’s national outlook with strong regional characteristics is what differentiates the party from other national parties. “Assertion of your regional identity, assertion of your caste, assertion of your tribal identity, assertion of your land, assertion of your territory, we understand what the tribal people of the north-east values… our value system, our policies will be all for the benefit of the people of the northeast,” he said.
As for the NPF and the NDPP, he said that the two parties’ presence is confined to Nagaland alone and that the people of Nagaland need a bigger platform.
While it was clear that the NPP has sounded the bugle, Mithi stopped short of predicting how many candidates the NPP would field in the 2023 Nagaland Assembly polls.
Three-time MLA, Deo Nukhu, who is presently Advisor to the state NPP unit, was a bit more predictive. “Coming elections we cannot say how many we can set up. But I think may be roughly a dozen candidates. And we expect to have atleast half a dozen elected members,” he said, while stating that the NPP fielded around 20 candidates in 2018.
He said that it has yet to discuss about joining forces with other parties but added that the NPP would not mind supporting the majority party.
Nukhu began his electoral sojourn in 2003, winning the Chizami seat from the Samata Party ticket in 2003. He retained the seat as a Congressman in 2008 and went on to take it again in 2013 from the NPF ticket. He lost in the 2018 polls as an NPP candidate.
Coming to the NPP’s development goals, Mithi cited the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and instating transparency (in governance) as among the agenda. Describing the NPP as a pan-northeast entity, he said, “Sometimes Nagaland fighting alone does not work. You’ll need the strength of other states to achieve certain goals and that is our agenda.”
In Manipur, he said that, besides the BJP, the NPP will be the only party which will fight the elections with “really strong” candidates.
He added, “If we happen to make a government in Manipur, our aim is to provide transparency. If we have some stake in the next government in Nagaland, our aim is to push for transparency, transparency in all works related to government schemes.”
Cash for vote
On the cash for vote culture, Mithi admitted that Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh are the two biggest spenders in elections. He said that it cannot be said which of the two spends the most but “It is known to all the political parties, it is known to all leaders what kind of money culture prevails during elections here.” This money, he said, comes from the government coffers. “The channeling of transferring funds has to be very transparent then only you can lower the exercise of money during the elections,” he said.
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