Decode Politics: Why Eastern Nagaland districts are again seeing a poll boycott call

On the cusp of yet another election, six eastern districts in Nagaland have again called for a boycott of the polls over their demand for greater autonomy. On Monday, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) wrote to the Election Commission of India, saying that the people of these districts have taken “a collective decision to abstain” from participating in the election.

This is in line with a resolution passed in February by the ENPO and tribal organisations from these districts. They had decided “not to participate in any Central and state election if the offer for creation of Frontier Nagaland Territory is not settled by the Government of India through the Ministry of Home Affairs” before the declaration of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the coming Lok Sabha polls.

People in six eastern districts of Nagaland – Kiphire, Longleng, Mon, Noklak, Shamator and Tuensang – have been demanding a separate state for long, on the grounds of lack of development in these parts. The issue escalated in November 2010, when the ENPO submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office seeking a separate state with special status and provisions, citing “development deficit” in the region.

Together, the six six districts account for one-third, or 20 of the 60, Assembly seats in the state.

Regional disparity between the Eastern Nagaland districts – which make up more than 30% of the population of the state and are home to the Konyak, Khiamniungan, Chang, Sangtam, Tikhir, Phom and Yimkhiung tribes – and the rest of the state is a commonly recognised fact.

The 2016 Nagaland State Human Development Report, flagging the disparity, noted that “there is considerable intra-state disparity in the spread of the benefits of development”.