Condemns villages selecting one candidate and barring others
Dimapur, Nov. 13 (EMN): The Langpangkong Kaketshir Mongdang (students’ union) condemned the practice of selecting only one candidate in a village from among all the contenders for the state assembly elections and demanded that the any decisions arrived at through such illegal practices should be retracted immediately .
The students’ union of the Langpangkong range in Mokokchung district condemned the practice that is usually known as ‘senso’ (village citizen) candidate or ‘putu’ (village council) candidate where an internal process of either selection or election is held within the village and only the successful candidate in the village is allowed to contest in the assembly elections.
The students’ union through a press release written in Ao language informed that a decision to this effect was arrived at the midterm conference of the union on November 11 at Chuchuyimlang village.
It further reminded that this decision was taken even earlier in 2016 in the month of September in the same village where all the villages under Langpangkong range attended the meeting in the form of its respective village elders, village councils, civil society, churches, gaonbura and dobashi. In the same meeting it had collectively decided to ensure clean elections in the Langpangkong range.
“The practice of selecting senso candidate or putu candidate is illegal and therefore the union condemns it, moreover such decisions arrived at is unacceptable to the union as anyone willing to contest elections should be given equal rights to contest and a village body should neither intervene nor ostracise those persons,” stated the release from the union.
It directed that if any village has already indulged in such practices, they should immediately retract their decision else in the future the students’ union will not show solidarity to that errant village.
The midterm conference was also attended by Additional Chief Electoral Officer, N Moa Aier, who elucidated on the various elections laws and the related duties of a citizen. He also clarified that the practice by village, khel, colony or any group of openly declaring support to a candidate is illegal and against the Representation of the People Act 1951 and Rule 39 of The Conduct of Elections 1961. Any person indulging in such practices is liable to be fined with imprisonment of up to 3 years, he said.
