Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vyasan R said full-scale preparations are being made for free and fair elections and also provide a level playing field to all candidates in the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state.
Voting for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state will be held on April 19. Three candidates – Congress nominee S Supongmeren Jamir, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) consensus candidate Chumben Murry and Independent Hayithung Tungoe Lotha are in the fray.
“Under the initiative of the Election Commission of India (ECI), all preparations are in full swing for a free and fair election while providing a level playing field to all,” Vyasan told PTI in an interview here.
He said that a total of 13,17,536 electorates will be exercising their franchise, including more than 19,000 first-time voters. Nagaland has more female electors than male. The state has 6,60,807 female voters while the number of male voters 6,56,729, he said.
Asked about the letter submitted by the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) to the ECI through his office on April 1 conveying its decision to abstain from the polls, he said there is no further communication.
“There are 738 polling stations in the ENPO area, polling parties will be deputed and polling stations will be set up while it is up to the voters whether to cast their vote or not,” he said.
The State Police Nodal Officer for Lok Sabha elections, IGP (Range) Limasunep Jamir told PTI that since the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), security has been beefed up in the state to curb poll-related violence.
He said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned 48 companies of Central Armed Police Force for the state, which are arriving in batches while the final induction will be completed by Monday.
- PTI