NAGALAND: ENPO Declares Public Emergency, Bans Election Campaign

KOHIMA: The Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) has declared a "public emergency" and called for a boycott of elections and campaigns in six eastern districts of the state. This is due to the Union government's delay in offering to create a Frontier Nagaland Territory, which would be an autonomous council for the region.

The decision was made after an extensive coordination meeting on Tuesday in Dimapur, involving tribal bodies and front organizations from the ENPO's eastern districts of Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak, and Shamator.

The ENPO insisted that the Centre should fulfill the people's aspirations, as promised by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, by resolving their concerns before the 2024 Parliamentary elections.

The organization has restated its previous decision not to take part in any central or state elections. It declared that the people of eastern Nagaland would not accept any promises made by the Union Home Ministry for implementation after the Lok Sabha election process.

Following their protest, individuals familiar with the matter stated that a dawn-to-dusk ban would be enforced on March 8, after which the protest would be escalated.

On February 9, the ENPO organized public rallies across the six district headquarters, demanding the establishment of the Centre's promised Frontier Nagaland Territory before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The rallies ended with a resolution stating that the people of the region would be "compelled" to take their own action if the central government did not respect their sentiments and aspirations.

Since 2010, the ENPO has been advocating for a separate "Frontier Nagaland" state, citing alleged discrimination, especially in terms of development. Initially, the ENPO called for the creation of a distinct "Frontier Nagaland" state from the existing Nagaland state.

However, in 2022, representatives from the Union Home Ministry, led by advisor (northeast) AK Mishra, negotiated for an alternative arrangement, proposing autonomy for the region.

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