Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, MARCH 18
AT least thirty-eight villages under Aghunaqa area in Niuland sub-division on Tuesday announced that they would be left with no option but to boycott the coming Parliamentary elections if their repeated calls for arrangement of a polling station within every 12 kms of Aghunaqa area – as per the guidelines of the Election Code of Conduct – are not addressed appropriately.
Currently the whole of Aghunaqa area, which is home to more than ten thousand voters and falls under Ghaspani-I A/C, is functioning without a single polling station. It is widely believed that the absence of a single polling station in the area is because of the fact that it falls under the Disturbed Area Belt (DAB).
Addressing a news conference today in Dimapur the Aghunaqa people – represented by its Gaunbura association, Students’ union, Totomi Hoho as well as political party units – said that a representation containing the same demand(s) was delivered to the Chief Electoral Officer, Kohima on February 18 last. Prior to that, they had also written to the Chief Election Commissioner, New Delhi on April 4 2012.
The response, from Central as well as State authorities, are still awaited. “The Naga people (in Aghunaqa area) have to travel 20-40 km far from their respective villages to exercise their franchise during Assembly and Parliamentary elections at Kiyezu village. Whereas, the Assam government has provided eight Polling Stations within the same belt/area- Shantipur PS, Amguri PS, MV Chungajan PS, Naukhuti PS, Panjan PS, Horipur PS and Dubguri PS,” the representation to CEO Kohima, made available to the press, read.
The leaders from Aghunaqa area were at pains to reason that they were in no way raising objections to the Assam government decision to establish polling stations in the area. “Rather we support that them because it is the constitutional right and similarly provided in the Election Code of Conduct.”
They however suggested that the silence from all authorities concerned amounted to “step-motherly treatment of Naga people living in the border areas” while demanding that the same yardstick should be applied to all the citizens.
In the latest representation to the CEO Kohima, the Aghunaqa area people had listed several inconveniences faced during the elections. “The aged people cannot travel 20-40 km on polling day (to cast their vote), movement of transportation are restricted due to law and order problems before 48 hours of polling, due to less number of electorate turn-out on polling day proxy voting prevail and in some cases 144 CrPC is imposed which restricts the movement of voters,” the grievances read.
Against such a scenario, the Aghunaqa people proposed the “competent authorities” to set up polling stations in nine locations. The proposed locations include Homeland GMS, Khehuto GMS, Nitozu GMS, Tohoi GPS, P Vihoto GPS, Aghunaqa HS, Yethoho GPS, Zhekishe GPS and Nikihe GMS.
“In the light of out representation herein, we demand our franchise rights to be exercised in the true spirit of democracy and ensure that there is a polling station within 2 km of every voter as in the Election Code of Conduct before the ensuing Parliamentary elections 2014, or we may be compelled to boycott the Parliamentary Election 2014 till our aspirations are met in the interest of the Nagas living in the border areas in general and Aghunaqa in particular,” read the representation.
