Civic polls: Nagaland women fight for quota

We firmly believe that the Naga society must recognise the rights of women as equal citizens as granted in the Constitution,and it is the bounden duty of the state government to support the empowerment process, a memorandum submitted by the JACWR to Kumar in Kohima on Tuesday said.

The state government had postponed the civic elections early last year after several tribal bodies including the Naga Hoho the apex body of all Naga tribes had opposed reservation of constituencies for women in the states municipal and town committee elections. While the womens groups mounted a campaign against this,they finally got a huge relief from the Gauhati High Court which on October 21 directed the state government to strictly ensure womens reservation in the civic body elections.

The JACWR has also started a process of selecting women candidates for the 82 seats that would have to be reserved for women in the forthcoming civic body elections. The final list of women candidates would be ready by the end of this month.