What was assumed to be a friendly contest between senior Congress leaders SI Jamir and I. Imkong for the prestigious post of Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) President has now turned out to be a full scale political battle with clear polarization between the two camps each side going all out to defeat the other. No doubt having organizational polls within a political party is positive as it demonstrates the tradition of inner party democracy. And when elections are to be held for important positions within a party, it is expected that there has to be proper rules and regulation with observers. All this seems to have been put into place for the election. However it is obvious that some people are trying to take recourse to unhealthy practices. The day of the actual polling in Kohima witnessed unruly behaviour of some party workers. This led to suspension of the poll exercise. A new poll date has been fixed for October 6. And in the run up to the contest, both sides are obviously doing its best to garner the necessary numbers.
In the last ten days, a heated exchange of words has ensued between the two candidates. This is not what was expected from within the Congress party. However many people are not surprised by the turn of events. The latest fissure within the Congress camp is testimony that there is a deeper rift inside the party. A look at the people who are in the two camps is all the more interesting. While SI Jamir has the support of some prominent senior leaders, I. Imkong also has similar backing of other powerful figures. The reported involvement of armed groups also proves that the stakes are high. After all this is a battle for the powerful NPCC and obviously the one who controls this will have a large say on the future of the party in Nagaland including allocation of party tickets at the time of elections. One must remember that maximum number of candidates apply for Congress tickets. This was also the case in the last State Assembly polls.
It looks as though things may never be the same again for the Nagaland Congress unless off course better sense prevails after the acrimony of the election process. It will be interesting to wait and watch the churning taking place within the Congress set up. The opponent Naga People’s Front will be gleefully observing the entire exercise unfolding within the Congress. With Assembly Election not that far away, the NPF would actually benefit from the disunity within the opposition ranks as it did during the last elections as well. The inner tussle within the Congress was evident in the fiasco of ticket distribution. Some loyal Congressman denied party tickets went on to win as Independents or through NPF ticket. The NPF which went on to form the government for the second consecutive term got crucial support when it mattered the most. The open rift within the Congress set up as seen in the run up to the NPCC polls is not a good sign. It is clear that the Nagaland Congress need to set its house on order if it wants to avoid another election defeat at the hands of the NPF.
