The announcement by the Rising People’s Party to kick-start its campaign for the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Elections 2023, with a walk, came as a bit of a surprise. Normally, in Nagaland and elsewhere, one would expect a political party to kick off its election campaign with a huge rally, often as a show of strength – the bigger, the better. The walk, called “A Walk to Save Nagaland,” is going to be a long walk and a big challenge, literally and figuratively. The walk, covering a distance of more than 1200 kms, is perhaps the first time that any political party, or anybody for that matter, have ever walked in Nagaland. It is estimated to take 40 days to walk the walk.
The party, through the walk, aims to highlight issues that it finds pertinent and also share its vision, aims and objectives. The common people of Nagaland knows that the state is lagging behind other states in all development parameters. That rampant, all pervasive corruption is ailing Nagaland is a cliché now. Many have been voicing out against corruption and misgovernance in Nagaland over the years but not enough to break the state free from the shackles of corruption. According to its press statement, it is clear that RPP is riding on the slogan of fighting against corruption, among other things, to contest the next assembly elections. It remains to be seen whether RPP has the appeal to galvanize the people to propel it to power in Nagaland.
In 1985, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) led by a young Prafulla Kumar came to power in Assam. The burning issue in Assam at that time was the unabated influx of foreign nationals to Assam that was detrimental to the indigenous populations. Prafulla Kumar became the youngest every Chief Minister of Assam at just 33 years of age. Another party that came to power out of nowhere is the Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Delhi. How Arvind Kejriwal led his party to power in Delhi beginning 2013 is, observers say, because of misgovernance by the Congress and the BJP. Different states, different periods of time, and different issues; but the common denominator here is that little known faces swept to power.
In Nagaland, however, electoral politics is very different from the other states. Election dynamics are dictated by a lot of factors, where “burning issues” hardly determine the outcome of an election, nor does principle or manifesto of a political party. As such, it is observed that it is going to be a long walk for the RPP to find a seat in the august house in Kohima.
It is too early to write off the RPP but, at the same time, it is difficult to even assume that RPP will find a seat in the state legislative assembly at this point in time.