Leaders Online Desk: The first phase of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha was held on Friday (April 19) in the country. Voting was held for 102 Lok Sabha seats. Meanwhile, six eastern districts of Nagaland did not vote at all. People refrained from voting to demand a separate state. The polling staff here waited for voters at the booth for nine hours.
The Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO) is the apex body of the seven tribal organizations in the east. ENPO has been demanding a separate state of Frontier Nagaland since 2010. It consists of six districts namely Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Shamatore and Noklak. ENPO had appealed to the people of six districts in the region not to vote in the election in protest.
Nagaland Additional Chief Electoral Officer Ava Loring said election officials were deployed at 738 polling stations in six districts. There are 4 lakh voters in six districts. All voters stayed at home on polling day. Six districts did not vote at all.
Even 20 MLAs did not exercise their right to vote
Nagaland Additional Chief Electoral Officer Ava Loring said polling staff were present at 738 polling stations in the region covering 20 assembly constituencies from 7 am to 4 pm. No one came to vote in nine hours. Not only this, 20 MLAs also did not exercise their right to vote. Out of 13.25 lakh voters in Nagaland, six districts in eastern Nagaland have 4 lakh 632 voters.
Chief Minister Nephiu Rio on Friday confirmed that the state government has no problem with the Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO) demand of the FNT as it has already recommended autonomous rights for the region.
