Bandh in Nagaland, no nomination filed

Kohima: No candidate filed nomination papers for the upcoming urban local bodies election in Nagaland on Monday, the last day for filing nominations, as a bandh called by tribal organisations affected normal life in the state, officials said.
Tribal bodies called the bandh following the extension of deadline by the State Election Commission (SEC) for candidates to file nomination papers to six municipal and town councils here.
The SEC said, a total of 558 candidates have filed their nominations for the February 1 polls and those were filed for one municipal council and 25 town councils till January 7, the original last date for filing of nominations. Scrutiny of all the 558 nomination papers will be taken up on Tuesday. These candidates are from the NPF (268), Congress (31), BJP (79) and 180 Independents and they also include 171 women. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is January 17.  As no nomination was filed for six other councils till January 7 due to bandhs called by various bodies, the SEC had extended the deadline for those places till 3 pm on Monday. Still, no nomination was filed during the day as bandh supporters were on the streets to prevent the candidates from reaching the Returning Officer’s office.
The six councils with zero nomination are Kohima and Mokokchung municipal councils, and Tuensang, Mon, Medziphema and Changtongya town councils. Though normal life was affected due to the bandh, no untoward incident was reported, police said.
At Kohima, Angami Youth Organisation, under the aegis of its parental body Angami Public Organisation, enforced the bandh, Ao Senden did it in Mokokchung Municipality and Changtongya Town Council in Mokokchung district. In Tuensang district too, Chang Khulei Setshang and Tuensang Village Citizen Union backed the bandh.
The organisations have given a boycott call against holding of polls to the urban local bodies in the state with a 33-per cent reservation for women, claiming that it infringed on the special rights guaranteed under Article 371A of the Constitution. (PTI)