Nagaland, Meghalaya set to vote on Monday: Seats, key candidates, read all details here

In both these states, the last elections threw hung assemblies. The BJP, however, managed to wriggle its way into the government after allying with the local parties.

New Delhi: Meghalaya and Nagaland are set to vote in single-phase assembly elections on Monday. Both northeastern states currently have BJP in power through its coalition with National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and National People's Party respectively. Polling will be conducted on Monday, and results for both states will come out on March 2.

While Nagaland will see the battle between sitting Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Congress' Seyievilie Sachu, a novice in the state's political arena, in Meghalaya, the ruling NPP led by Conrad Sangma faces the TMC challenge mounted by former CM Mukul Sangma who leads the charge for Mamata Banerjee's party. The latter became the main opposition party in the state a year back, as most of the state Congress MLAs shifted to the new side.

In Meghalaya, BJP looks to secure seats of its own this time, after 2018 assembly polls in the state resulted in a hung assembly. In preparation for the same, the state in recent weeks saw rallies by top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Trinamool Congress, too, has attempted to prepare its base as party Supremo and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee toured various areas of Meghalaya, hoping to seize power.

The polling will take place in 3,419 booths in Meghalaya, out of which 640 have been identified as vulnerable, and 323 have been tagged critical. There are 84 booths in the state which are both critical and vulnerable, Chief Electoral Officer FR Kharkongor was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, a team of 53 observers, including 20 general observers, 21 expenditure observers and 12 police observers will be deployed to prevent any electoral malpractices, officials said. In light of possible law and order issues on election day, the 443 km long border the state shares with neighbouring Bangladesh will also be closed on polling day, officials said.

There are 60 Assembly constituencies in Meghalaya, 36 of which fall in Khasi, 24 in Jaintia Hills region and 24 in Garo Hills. Over 21 lakh voters (21,75,236) in the state will use their franchise on Monday to decide the political course of the state. Of the voters, 10.99 lakh are women.

Meanwhile, in Nagaland, over 13 lakh voters will decide the fate of 183 candidates, which includes four female candidates and 19 independents. The elections are going to be held in 59 out of 60 seats, with the Akuluto assembly seat in Zunheboto district having already been secured by sitting MLA Kazehto Kinimi after the Congress candidate withdrew from the race. The polling on Monday will start at 7 am and will go on till 4 pm.

Several issues surfaced to the top ahead of polls in the state. Recently, the Assam chapter of Janajati Dharma-Sanskriti Suraksha Mancha (JDSSM) put forward a demand to delist as Scheduled Tribes all those who converted to other faiths. While BJP has opposed the demand, NDPP has not yet taken a clear stance in this regard.

At various levels, the issue of a separate Naga homeland, too, recently came to the fore as Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), a representative body, demanded a separate state called 'Frontier Nagaland' comprising the six Eastern districts of Tuenshang, Mon, Shamator, Kiphire, Noklak and Longleng. It called for boycott of the polls if the demand remained unfulfilled. ENPO withdrew the demand after Union Home Minister Amit Shah on February 2 assured them of a post-elections agreement.

Results of the 2018 assembly elections displayed a predicament for all sides, with a hung assembly in order where Naga People's Front (NPF) won 26 out of 58 seats it contested. NDPP and BJP secured 18 and 12 seats each and formed the government with backing from the JD(U) and an independent candidate. Subsequently, in 2021, NPF joined the ruling coalition, giving rise to the all-party United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government.

Sitting Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, who won the important Northern Angami constituency in 2018, will look to defend his base against 37-year-old Congressman Seyievilie Sachu. As per reports, the latter grounds his candidature on the need for people's welfare as well as the holding up resistance against "the policy of providing help only to close aides of Rio". "The rich are becoming richer and the poor are being neglected under Rio's leadership" he was quoted as saying.

The CM, an undisputed political heavyweight in the state, started his career in 1987 as an independent candidate but faced defeat. He subsequently joined Congress in 1989 and stayed there till 2002, when shifted to the Naga People's Front, thereafter securing the CM's chair thrice till 2013. In 2014, Rio won the Lok Sabha elections and became an MP. The stint as a Parliament member was short-lived, however, as he returned to state politics and joined NDPP.