DIMAPUR — Dispute over the Tikhir interim seat in Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) has resurfaced, with the Tikhir Tribal Council (TTC) backing Tsangli Tikhir as its “sole eligible” candidate while members of two Tikhir bodies have publicly disputed the legitimacy of earlier endorsements.

In a letter to the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) dated September 25, the TTC urged it to consider Tsangli Tikhir for the interim member position, stating that he was the only candidate who fulfilled the eligibility criteria prescribed by the ENPO.

The TTC explained that three candidates had been considered during a meeting on March 10 and claimed that one was rejected on grounds of age, while objections were raised against another, Mark Morekiu, over his alleged antecedents and pending legal matters.

It alleged that despite objections, Morekiu was subsequently recommended for the Tikhir interim member position by what it described as a “dissolved TTC team”. The council further alleged that the team, along with some frontal organisations, endorsed Morekiu again at a meeting in Kiusam on September 1.

The TTC stated that it had subsequently nullified the September 1 resolution, alleging that the meeting was held without authorisation.

Morekiu's nomination has also been challenged by members of the Tikhir Gazetted Officers’ Association (TGOA), who issued a separate public clarification disputing endorsements made in the association's name.

Nine TGOA office-bearers and members stated that a joint letter to the ENPO concerning the nomination of the Tikhir interim member, dated March 10, had been endorsed without consultation or consent of the association's officials and members.

They also disputed signatures appended by the TGOA president and an adviser to an endorsement made at the Kiusam meeting on September 1, stating that the signatures were made without prior internal discussion or authorisation.

“The actions and endorsements made by the individuals in these instances do not represent the official stand of the TGOA in any manner,” they stated.

The TGOA members stated the association functions according to its established constitutional framework and that decisions taken without collective deliberation were contrary to its internal mandate.