Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 3
As the Electronic Voting Machines are cracked open behind steel mesh walls, counting agents on behalf of various political parties compare notes. It is March 3, 2018, and the State is busy counting the votes cast on February 27 for election to the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly. As each EVM’s digital data is revealed—number of votes cast for each party shows up on the rectangular screen—the counting agents break into a chatter tallying numbers.
“People have voted for NOTA (None of The Above) without any canvassing or campaign,” joked a counting agent to peals of laughter erupting from the majority-male agents in one of the counting rooms. In fact, at some polling stations, people have chosen more NOTA than a contesting woman candidate. The people of Nagaland have shown a ‘thumbs down’ to all five women candidates contesting in the 2018 polls.
Losing numbers
Of the five women who contested, Awan Konyak bore the highest expectations of a win. From Aboi A/C in Mon district, Konyak contested on an NDPP ticket. She got 5131 votes, losing to Eshak Konyak of the NPF by 905 votes. In Aboi A/C, 43 votes were cast for NOTA. She is the first woman from the Konyak community to contest the polls and was representing a constituency that was previously held by her father, former Minister, Nyeiwang Konyak (who passed away recently).
Dr. K Mangyangpula Chang of the NPP secured 725 votes in the Noksen A/C where incumbent CM Chang won, this time on an NDPP ticket. He secured 4436 votes followed by the NPF at 3860 and INC at 1008. 27 voters opted for NOTA here.
Rhakila, who contested second time on a BJP ticket, amassed 2749 votes. But the top candidates of her Tuensang Sadar-II A/C got 6204 (NPF) and 4405 (NCP) votes respectively—Kejong Chang, the NPF winner, was the oldest candidate in the 2018 polls and will now be the oldest representative in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. 38 here voted NOTA.
Rekha Rose Dukru, a farm based entrepreneur, ran as an independent candidate. She garnered 338 votes in her Chizami A/C where the highest votes – 6563 – were bagged by Kezhienyi Khalo of the NPF followed by BJP at 6160. Incumbent Deo Nukhu contested from an NPP ticket getting 1667 votes. 32 people in Chizami chose NOTA.
In Dimapur-III A/C, Wedie-ü Kronu secured 483 votes, standing from the NPP. The highest votes here were garnered by Azheto Zhimomi of the NPF at 13162, followed by the NDPP at 11024, INC at 2152, with 137 voting for NOTA.
These women braved several social odds to contest polls in a State where women in political leadership are actively discouraged. With political parties doing nothing to encourage women into more holistic roles within their parties, women’s training in political leadership remains marginal in the Nagaland State. Here, male candidates with no prior socio-political experience, traditional power nor money attract more votes than women who may be more capable but completely lack institutional support.
This makes it all the more important for the dispensation that comes to power to push for mandatory reservation of seats for women in political bodies, starting from their parties.
