Kedi Haralu
The Delimitation process i.e. relocation of wards under Dimapur I and Dimapur II A/C has come at a stage where it is political suicide for numerous politicians as well as the public of the effected areas, who have no knowledge of what the future may bring. If Dimapur is to be effected by this relocation process, it will become a thorn on the sides of the DMC and also the administration, for it may not affect those policy makers in the higher ups but what about those in the grassroots of Dimapur plus those living under the poverty line. What about the electorates who sacrificed much for the person to represent them in the Legislative assembly. Is this justice? I think not.
There are numerous wards which have been lacking in development and proper infrastructure, thus the public of the area had decided to elect someone else to ensure that he brings all necessary development. Have their votes gone to waste? Why could it not be done earlier before the bye elections or after the next General Assembly elections, which would be taking place after a few months?
If necessary why don’t the policy makers simply add constituencies in those areas where there has been much less constituency as per voters’ population? The Constituencies created earlier were just a farce to accommodate earlier politicians, some even dividing a single village into two constituencies. Peren District as per the population has more then 16, 000 per constituency, plus not forgetting the floating population. There are only two Constituencies in Peren District, while places like Mokokchung has constituencies with a population of lesser then a ward of Dimapur. Why can’t the policy makers figure this out? It is rather unfortunate of bringing up old mistakes and errors, but Nagaland is in a phase where there is complete uncertainty of the future, thus we should solve our other problems first then creating a new problem. The formation of Nagaland as a State under the Indian Union, was created in such a hurry that there was total lack planning and those who had the monopoly did everything under the sun for their own gain be it political or financial and never for the welfare of the General Public. It is time these policy makers ensure that opinion polls be taken as per the wishes of the majority, instead of getting up one fine day and decide on delimitation or relocation. We live in a modern, educated society, therefore every decision is counted for and not like before, where the GB or Village Chief make their decision on behalf of the whole village. Gone are those days where plebiscites took place and mutual agreements made verbally, for we live in a new world. I as an individual and as a citizen have my own opinion, but that does not mean that every tom, dick or harry follow the same. Dictatorial and Communistic policy cannot be entertained in a free democratic society (although the Government in Delhi is surviving due to the backing of the Communist (Marxist) CPI (M) party), we should be allowed to make our own decisions before there are any drastic changes taken. Peren is not the only district that is suffering due o lack of Constituencies, but other districts and Sub Divisions like Tsemenyu and Tuensang areas, which have hardly any representatives in the Assembly. All tribes need to be treated the same and accommodated equally, for the past history of Nagaland has only been one or two tribes which monopolizes the Government while ruling, regardless of party or parties.
Although regionalism has come back to the state, with the NPF party as the dominant ally in the DAN coalition, whether it is here to stay or not depends on the actions and policies framed during its tenure. An offshoot of the UDF, the NPF has in a way achieved a long cherished dream of the elected Legislator from its mother constituency i.e. Dimapur I A/C was where the party took form and the symbol/emblem of the party and its logo conceived, the victory celebration would be short-lived if the relocation of Wards takes place, especially ward 4 and ward 5 which will come under Dimapur II A/C as proposed, if relocation takes place. For a change the regional party has survived a whole term, after the demise of leaders like late Vamuzo and also none of the new generation of a late prominent family, taking on the mantle of politics, which and whose sentiments I fully understand as a family member, plus being from the family of late Thepfurüya, for regionalism to survive, the will and aspiration of the people of Nagaland must be looked into and encouraged. The development factor too needs to carry on in a war-footing pace, for there is just a few months left, and if this is done, there would be no need for spending while campaigning, for even the non-local committee in Dimapur has changed from their Central Party mindset to trust in the Regional Party, which is a major factor and change. Although many would say that the bye elections at Dimapur I were mainly proxy votes, it is a fact that all parties, be it the BJP, Congress, JDU, Independent or NPF, they had all used proxy voters, but when the genuine voters were counted, the large chunk of the vote bank (both local and non-local) stood for the Regional Party. Therefore one can surmise that the dominant ruling party must have done something right and positive in the last four years of their rule. No other political party had such a major monopoly ever, for Dimapur I is a Constituency where anyone with money and a bit of luck get elected. For where the Constituency is concerned, even a significant Powerful Politician can lose if his grassroots. In Conclusion, delimitation or relocation or renaming should not be encouraged nor any action taken at this juncture, otherwise the repercussions would be rather drastic, if the issue is endorsed.
