1998 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly were held in February 1998 to elect members of the 60 constituencies in Nagaland, India. The Indian National Congress won a majority of the seats[1] and S. C. Jamir was re-appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland. The number of constituencies was set as 60 by the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India.[2]
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All 60 seats in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly 31 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 260,646 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 78.95% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Regional parties like the Naga People's Front did not contest these elections, and they were joined by the Bharatiya Janata Party in this action.[3] In 43 of the constituencies, the INC candidate was the sole candidate and hence was declared the winner without a poll. In the other 17 constituencies, the INC candidate had to compete with one or more Independents. The Independents managed to win 7 of these seats.
Background
In 1997, the NSCN(I-M) signed a ceasefire agreement with the government.[4] The agreement ensured that while the government would not push for counter-insurgency operations against the NSCN (I-M) cadre and its leadership, the rebels on their part would not target armed forces. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland and the Naga Hoho, (a tribal body), then demanded that upcoming elections should be postponed till the conclusion of the peace talks. Since the Election Commission wasn't amenable to their arguments, they called for a boycott of the polls[1] even issuing threats to the various political parties where necessary.[5]
Result
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| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| Indian National Congress | 103,206 | 50.73 | 53 | +18 | |
| Independents | 100,226 | 49.27 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 203,432 | 100.00 | 60 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 203,432 | 98.86 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,356 | 1.14 | |||
| Total votes | 205,788 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 260,646 | 78.95 | |||
| Source: ECI[6] | |||||
Elected members
Government Formation
On 5 March, S. C. Jamir was sworn in as the Chief Minister, by the Governor Om Prakash Sharma, for his second successive term.[7] In addition, 11 other members of the Legislative assembly were sworn in as ministers in the cabinet. These included the future Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, who was made the Home minister.[8]
References
- "Holding of timely election is a constitutional process: Rijiju on Nagaland polls". The Quint. IANS. 30 January 2018.
In 1998, the separatist National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) and Naga Hoho had called for a poll boycott after it signed a ceasefire with the Indian government in 1997. However, the Congress party which was ruling Nagaland then had swept the elections by winning 53 of 60 seats, as other parties heeded the call.
- "DPACO (1976) - Archive Delimitation Orders". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- Along Longkumer (26 February 2018). "Nagaland's Cycle of Slogans, Elections, and Elusive Solutions". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
It will be worth remembering that as early as 1998 (when Nagaland Assembly election was due at that time), Naga civil society had coined the slogan 'Nagas want solution not election'. Except for the Indian National Congress (INC) under veteran Congressman S.C. Jamir, now the Governor of Odisha, the other parties, including the regional outfit NPC/NPF and even the BJP, had lent their support to the appeal. Terming the Congress as 'anti-Naga', these parties, backed by the NSCN (IM), stayed away from taking part in the electoral exercise.
- Waterman, Alex (16 September 2020). "Ceasefires and State Order-Making in Naga Northeast India". International Peacekeeping. 28 (3): 496–525. doi:10.1080/13533312.2020.1821365. ISSN 1353-3312. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020 – via White Rose Research Online.
- Udayan Namboodiri; Avirook Sen (16 February 1998). "Militants force candidates to back out from contest in Nagaland". India Today. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
On the eve of the polls, the "principal secretary" of the Government of People's Republic of Nagaland (GPRN), the underground "government" of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah faction), issued letters which asked candidates of all political parties in Nagaland to sign a proclamation "failing which they will be treated as anti-national".
- "Statistical Report on General Election, 1998 to the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- Kalyan Chaudhari (21 March 1998). "The Assembly round - Nagaland". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- Debanish Achom, ed. (17 February 2018). "Ex-Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio Teams Up With BJP This Time". NDTV. Retrieved 4 September 2021.