Kohima: All the political parties of Nagaland preparing themselves for February 23 Assembly elections have started party meetings, poster campaign, chains of party flags over the roads and preparing their own strategies to win the elections.
Altogether eight national and regional parties are preparing to field their candidates; however, the Nagaland Election Department has recognised only four political parties, the national parties are Congress, BJP and NCP and the regional party is only the Naga Peoples Front (NPF).
The other political parties to field their candidates are RJD, JD (U) and Trinamool Congress and one regional party the United Naga Democratic Socialist Party.
Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer J Alam told newspersons last evening that the RJD, JD (U) and TMC are registered parties from other states and they have to take permission from the EC to use their symbols, without permission from the EC they will not be able to use their party symbol and would be counted as Independent candidates.
Meanwhile, the ruling NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) held a meeting at the NPF head office Kohima yesterday and the meeting authorised NPF President Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to select probable candidates for the NPF party to fight the Assembly elections for all the 60 seats.
The NPF Election Committee has seven-member body comprising senior leaders such as NPF President Dr. Shurhozelie and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) met in Dimapur on Monday to ‘compile’ the names of its prospective candidates and ready the list by the NPCC Election Committee.
After completion of the list, it will be sent to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for scrutinising and confirmationof the names, which is likely to arrive in the State by January 22.
NPCC sources said the Congress leadership held its first meeting, concerning the issue of tickets on Monday.
Sources said, “It was the first meeting where we collected the names of candidates and compiled them.”
Sources disclosed that AICC scrutinisers are AICC General Secretaries Veerappa Moily and Mukul Wasik and Nagaland in-charge Luizinho Faleiro are scheduled to arrive in Dimapur on January 22.
They will decide to which of the nominated names the Congress ticket would go to. (UNI)