EC questions ENPO over poll boycott call

DIMAPUR: The state election commission has directed the president of the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), Tsapikyu Sangtam, to show cause without delay as to why action should not be initiated as per sub-section (1) of Section 171C of the IPC for repeated public declaration of the organisation's stand of collective abstention from participation in the coming urban local body (ULB) polls in the state scheduled for June 26.
In a notice to the ENPO president dated May 31, state election commissioner TJ Longkumer said the repeated public declaration made through the instrument of the organisation, which is essentially a pressure group and unrelated to the constitutional privilege of an electorate or an elector, is deemed to be an attempt to interfere with and to infringe on the individual rights of the electorate to freely and without fear or undue pressure participate in the electoral process on the basis of adult franchise. It is also deemed to be an interference with the superintendence, direction and control of the conduct of all municipality elections vested in the state election commission.
The commission referred to sub-section (1) of Section 171C of the IPC, 1860, which states "whoever voluntarily interferes or attempts to interfere with the free exercise of any electoral right commits the offence of undue influence at an election". The ENPO areas cover six districts of eastern Nagaland. The organisation boycotted the recently held Lok Sabha elections in the state over its demand for the creation of Frontier Nagaland Territory comprising the six districts of the region.
Longkumer said the ENPO president has superintendence over its organisation and the eastern Nagaland public emergency control room with its headquarters at Tuensang.
The notice pointed out that the ENPO, in a press statement that appeared in local papers on May 16, made public its stand to collectively abstain from participating in the ULB elections.