Like truth hidden behind a smokescreen of lies, politicians usually hide their ulterior motives shrouded behind their political grandstanding. We cannot totally blame them for that because it is part of the business they are engaged in, so to say. However, it is for us the people, to be vigilant and remain critical of their every move. As citizens, we have to have the discernment to read and understand their moves because, at the end of the day, their moves affect us. With the Nagaland Assembly Elections 2023 just around the corner, we will get to see a lot of electoral maneuvering. In fact, with or without our knowledge, a lot of moves must have been made by them behind the screen by now.
As citizens in a democracy, elections are the most important events in our political lives. Apart from clean elections, what we should also be equally concerned about is to understand the political parties. This time around, we are seeing a number of political parties in the fray – some we never heard of before. We also have to understand their ideological leanings, their policies and their manifesto. Unfortunately, voters in Nagaland are usually more attracted to the candidates (and how much money or benefits they can offer) rather than the political parties. This election is very interesting because the 40:20 seat sharing deal between NDPP and BJP seems to be a smokescreen with each party having their own hidden agendas. Despite being in a pre-poll alliance, it seems there is a contest between the two behind the screen. LJP(RV) openly declaring that they are not going to contest in the constituencies where there are BJP candidates in the race is clear enough a writing on the wall. One wonders how LJP(RV) – a nascent party without any foothold in national politics or even in Bihar, its home state of origin, is attracting so many candidates including some big names. Likewise, it could be a mere coincidence but nonetheless interesting to see JD(U) candidates pitted against top BJP leaders in 37-Tyui and 30-Alongtaki assembly constituencies.
The ENPO ‘relaxing’ their boycott is another interesting development. One would not be surprised to see the BJP and its NDA allies sweeping the 20 seats in eastern Nagaland. Elsewhere, in Tripura, the newly formed political party Tipra Motha is likely to emerge as the kingmaker after the Tripura assembly polls, in which it will fight a triangular contest with the BJP-IPFT and Congress-Left Front alliances. Tipra Motha, headed by erstwhile royal scion Pradyot Manikya Debbarma, refused to stitch an alliance with either the BJP or Congress and Left Front but has not shunned the possibility of a post-poll coalition with any party that supports its demand for a separate state of Greater Tipraland.
Of the eight national political parties in India, Mamata Banerjee’s AITC and Mayawati’s BSP are absent in Nagaland this time, which is quite a bit of a surprise. The two communist parties CPI and CPI(M) being absent is not much of a surprise though. BJP, Congress, NCP and NPP are in the fray. The other parties are here to either try their luck in gaining the coveted national party status or to strengthen the base of the national parties they are allied to. We the people, the voters and citizens, are mere pawns in the game.