Lok Sabha polls 2024: Why six districts in Nagaland saw close to no voting

The overall voter turnout in the state when polling closed stood at 56%. When contacted by The Indian Express, Nagaland CEO R Vyasan did not specify how low the voter turnout was in these districts as “data is still trickling in” but said, “Going by the overall voter turnout, it appears not much voting has taken place in the region.” Local reports suggest that no voting took place in the region, following a total shutdown which was called by the ENPO beginning from Thursday evening. In 2019, the voter turnout in Nagaland was 83.08%.

The six districts of Eastern Nagaland are Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang. They make up more than 30% of the state’s population and account for 20 of the 60 seats in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. The call to “abstain” from elections is in line with a resolution taken in February by the ENPO and tribal organisations in these districts “not to participate in any central and state election if the offer for creation of Frontier Nagaland Territory is not settled by the Government of India through the Ministry of Home Affairs” before the declaration of the MCC for the Lok Sabha polls.

On April 18, the Nagaland CEO had issued a show cause notice to the ENPO, stating that the call for a total shutdown all over Eastern Nagaland “attempts to use undue influence at elections by interfering with the free exercise of those residing in Eastern Nagaland areas” to vote in the elections.

In his response sent to the CEO Friday, ENPO president Tsapikiu Sangtam wrote that the shutdown was a “voluntary initiative by the people” and that the ENPO does not have the means to enforce its orders and resolutions and that they “operate solely on the basis of voluntary participation and consensus among the Eastern Nagaland people.”

The long standing demand for autonomy for the six districts had flared up again ahead of last year’s Nagaland Legislative Assembly polls, which had taken place in February. As early as August 2022, the ENPO had passed a resolution to abstain from participating in the Assembly polls unless the demand for separate state was met.

However, weeks before the state went into polls, the ENPO withdrew the boycott call, citing an assurance from the Ministry of Home Affairs that a “mutually agreed solution” would be reached and implemented after the election process.

Since then, there had been several rounds of meeting between the ENPO and the MHA, and according to sources who have been part of these meetings, including a tripartite meeting with representatives of the Nagaland government, the discussions have been towards a “unique arrangement” called ‘Frontier Naga Territory’ within the state of Nagaland with a separate legislature, and executive and financial powers.

However, the ENPO had been pushing for the arrangement to be formally finalised before the Lok Sabha elections.