Patton backpedal after campaign comments spark controversy

•    Congress files complaint 
•    Dy CM issues explanation

Morung Express News 
Dimapur | April 7 

A major controversy erupted on Sunday after a video concerning campaign comments by the Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister, Y Patton went viral and the Congress alleging blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).

In the video, Patton is heard telling polling agents, village councils and Gaon Buras (GBs) to cast votes on behalf of the villagers.  
“If possible, chairman, gaonburas, polling agents should cast the votes in a village,” Patton said. Laughter and applause can be heard in the background as he went on to say, “Spare them (villagers or the electorate) the trouble. Let them go to work in the fields.” 

He made the comment, supposedly meant as a joke, campaigning in support of the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance candidate Dr Chumben Murry in Wokha on April 5. 

The other candidates in the fray, for the Nagaland Parliamentary Constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled on April 19, are the Indian National Congress’ (INC) S Supongmeren Jamir and Independent, Hayithung Lotha. 

The opposition Congress was quick to denounce the remark. 

Taking to X, the Nagaland Congress alleged that the Deputy CM and senior BJP leader, Patton was “advising & encouraging Village Chiefs & Leaders to cast votes of the whole village/polling booths.”

“Shocked to see such blatant violation of MCC coming from someone of his stature,” it noted, adding that it would be “formally filing a MCC violations complaint with the Election Commission.”

“The Congress Party in Nagaland believes that every vote is sacred & will not allow the promotion of such electoral malpractices slide unchallenged,” it added. 

Later, a party functionary updated that a complaint has already been lodged and expressed hope that the ECI and CEO Nagaland would take “strong cognizance of the issue.”

The Deputy CM’s video got traction early Sunday morning and by afternoon, was widely shared on various social media platforms, mostly with criticisms.

Patton’s explanation 
This compelled a clarification by the Deputy CM’s Office on Sunday afternoon attributing the same to an ‘ill-advised attempt at humor’ and expressing regret over the “utterances of poorly-chosen words.’

“… An ill-advised attempt at humor, told in the heat of the moment during a campaign event comprising of mostly party workers from different political partners,” was how he put it. 

Contrary to what he suggested through his alleged “humour,” he said that every citizen’s right to cast own vote is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy.

“It was not meant to be taken literally, but rather as a tongue-in-cheek remark about the sometimes burdensome nature of the election process for rural populations,” he said. 

“The jest was made in a lighter vein that even those TV channels did not telecast it and press people present there, did not choose to carry it,” he tried to justify. 

However, he admitted that during elections “every word is sensitive and how it can be misconstrued and seen as an effort to disenfranchise voters.”

“My role and intent is to empower and enable that process, not to circumvent it,” he added. 

Expressing regret over the “utterances of poorly-chosen words,” Patton further called upon each and everyone to take part in the electoral process during the forthcoming Parliamentary elections.