For clean election, Artang Ward organizes common platform for candidate declarations
Artang Ward has become the first ward in Mokokchung Town to organize a common platform for candidate declarations, featuring three women candidates- Yongkongsangla, Mapujungla and Bendangkokla. This initiative comes ahead of the MMC election scheduled for 26 June 2024 where a 33% reservation is in place in 6 out of 18 wards in Mokokchung town.
The Youth Association of Artang Ward (YAAW) organized the event on June 8 in Artang Community Hall, as part of an “initiative for a clean election.”
T Ati Mongro, Chairman of Artang Ward, emphasized his pride in the ward’s candidates. “I want to be proud of the Artang Ward candidates in front of all the 17 wards,” Mongro stated. He expressed confidence in the three women candidates, calling them “well-deserved” and thanking the youth association for initiating the campaign. Mongro urged the candidates to lead the ward on the right path.
Purkumzuk, President of YAAW, stated that the Artang Ward Council is fully committed to the clean election campaign. “They are spearheading the campaign to the extent of conducting home visits to spread the message,” Purkumzuk said.
Candidate Yongkongsangla R of the Congress party admitted that conducting a clean election has been a challenge for Artang Ward.
“Clean election has been a challenge for Artang Ward, like many others. The ward council has done a lot, but there is more we can do,” she said, expressing hope that the ward will surely adhere to it this time.
Mapujungla, who admitted to receiving the NDPP ticket via a phone call, stated her intent to collaborate with the ruling government. She urged voters to identify candidates as citizens of Artang Ward rather than by their villages while they exercise their precious vote.
Bendangkokla called on her fellow candidates to ensure that all three of them work towards a non-violent and clean election. “There should be no coercion of votes from any party,” she stressed.
Purkumzuk told Mokokchung Times that the impact of the common public platform remains uncertain but expressed hope that it would encourage more people to take the issue seriously.
“We are putting all efforts into keeping this election clean – be it the youths or the ward council. Even the three candidates are advocating it sincerely,” he said.
Purkumzuk also noted that party workers have pledged not to allow the candidates to spend money, with the party instead saying they will donate funds for lunch and other refreshments.
“That is why we genuinely expect this election to be much cleaner than the earlier elections we have seen,” he added.
Despite these efforts, the common platform for candidate declarations witnessed a low turnout. Addressing this issue, Purkumzuk suggested that the low turnout could be due to a social work event in the ward earlier in the morning or a general lack of interest.
The president emphasized that the primary objective of holding the common platform early was to ensure that every candidate campaigns with the spirit of a clean election.