Nagaland Assembly Elections 2018: 281 companies of central forces to be deployed to ensure free and fair polls

Altogether 281 companies of central force will be deployed in Nagaland to ensure free and fair Assembly polls in the state on February 27, the state chief electoral office said.

Out of the 281 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), 77 companies have already arrived and have been deployed throughout the state, the Media Cell of the Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said last evening.

The CAPF personnel are also being deployed at police check posts to stop movement of cash, smuggling of arms, liquor and illegal items.

The remaining 204 companies of CAPF will come to the state after completion of the polls in Tripura on February 18, the Media Cell said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Nagaland, Abhijit Sinha said 227 nominations filed out of 257 for the February 27 Assembly polls have been found to be valid.

Scrutiny of nomination papers of the 257 candidates, including five women, from nine political parties and Independents was carried out today, he said.

The exercise was conducted under strict security arrangements across 53 offices of Returning Officers across the state, the CEO said.

On January 29, 11 political parties in the state signed a joined a declaration to not contest the elections.

The core committee of civil organisations and tribal bodies and also the Naga insurgent groups had declared that anyone contesting the elections would be branded ‘anti-Naga’.

However, the lukewarm response to the state-wide bandh called by the Core Committee of the Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organisations (CCNTHC), meant that the electoral process remained on track. Hearing about the filing of nominations, CCNTHCO held close-door meeting in Kohima with representatives of political parties.

With the embarrassment of a no-show looming, with just one day to go, Kuzholuzo Azo Nienu of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Tuesday became the first candidate to file his nomination papers for the upcoming February 27 Nagaland Assembly polls.