Kohima: Nagaland has made significant strides in gender representation with the historic election of 102 women to its civic bodies, out of 278 total seats, in the recently concluded urban local body polls. This landmark election, conducted after a 20-year hiatus due to disputes over women’s reservation and property taxation, saw women candidates winning from both reserved and unreserved seats.
The polls, held on June 26, were the first since 2004 to implement a 33% reservation for women. Following the announcement of the results on Saturday, State Election Commissioner T. John Longkumer congratulated the Naga women, declaring, “Naga women, this was your election. Congratulations!”
Rosemary Dzüvichu, a prominent women’s rights activist and advocate for women’s reservation in Nagaland, credited the Supreme Court for enabling the municipal election with the women’s quota. She also acknowledged the role of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), which had filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court to address the issue.
The election covered 24 urban local bodies, including three municipal councils and 21 town councils across 10 districts. Voter turnout was impressive, with 81% of the over 2.23 lakh eligible voters participating in the election.
Notably, the youngest candidate elected was 22-year-old Nzanrhoni I Mozhui, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee from Bhandari town council in Wokha district. Expressing her gratitude after her win, Mozhui credited her family and ward members for their support and pledged to improve governance.
Initially, 238 women had filed nominations, but 23 from the eastern region withdrew following a poll boycott call by the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO). The boycott was in response to the delay in creating the autonomous Frontier Nagaland Territory. Consequently, six districts with 14 town councils under ENPO’s influence did not participate in the election.
In terms of party performance, the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) secured the highest number of seats, winning 153. Independents won 56 seats, the BJP secured 25, and various other political parties won 44 seats.
This election marks a significant advancement in women’s political participation in Nagaland, reflecting a positive change in the region's civic landscape.
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