2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Nagaland on 27 February 2023 to elect all [List of constituencies of the Elections in Nagaland|Nagaland Legislative Assembly|60 members] of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 2 March 2023.
The election marked a historic moment as it saw the first-ever election of two female MLAs to the Nagaland Assembly.
Background
The previous assembly elections were held in February 2018. After the election, coalition of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and Bharatiya Janata Party formed the state government, with Neiphiu Rio becoming Chief Minister. BJP severed ties with its local ally, Naga People's Front to form the government despite the latter emerging as the single largest party. The tenure of 13th Nagaland Assembly ended on 12 March 2023.Defections
In April 2022, 21 NPF MLAs joined NDPP along with then leader of the opposition T. R. Zeliang reducing the former's strength to four. In November 2022, BJP Nagaland District Presidents of Kohima, Wokha and Peren joined JD(U) as a major jolt to BJP Nagaland.Schedule
The election schedule was announced by the Election Commission of India on 18 January 2023.| Poll event | Schedule |
| Notification date | 31 January 2023 |
| Last date for filing nomination | 7 February 2023 |
| Scrutiny of nomination | 8 February 2023 |
| Last date for withdrawal of nomination | 10 February 2023 |
| Date of poll | 27 February 2023 |
| Date of Counting of Votes | 2 March 2023 |
Parties and alliances
National Democratic Alliance
BJP and NDPP announced their alliance for the election in July 2022 and the seat sharing formula was declared on 2 February 2023. Both BJP and NDPP announced their candidates on the same day.Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress did not win any seat in the previous elections in 2018. On 26 December 2023, INC appointed Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik as the senior observer and along with former Goa Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha and K. Jeyakumar, both Lok Sabha MPs, as observers for the Nagaland polls. In December 2022, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee President Kewekhape Therie invited like-minded parties and leaders to join an alliance to form a secular front. It depended on the strong anti-Hindutva stand in the Christian-majority state as well as the delay in resolving the Indo-Naga conflict. In their bid to regain lost ground, INC had been in conversation with church bodies as well as Naga National Political Groups.Others
In a press release issued on 22 January 2023, Janata Dal (United) declared that it will not participate in any pre-poll, seat-sharing alliance with any political party. However, it would be open to post-poll alliance with like-minded parties. JD was one of the first political parties to announce their candidates for the elections on 29 January 2022.LJP(RV) decided to contest election not with any other party however party has decided not contest against BJP candidates.
Candidates
For the 60 seats in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, a total of 184 candidates submitted their nominations. At least 21 constituencies witnessed a three-way contest. Four women candidates were also fielded by various parties.Based on their affidavits submitted to the Election Commission of India, The Morung Express, a leading newspaper in Nagaland, revealed that 104 candidates were crorepati. The huge income and asset disparity between the candidates showed that the richest candidate was worth ₹137 crore, and the poorest had just ₹5251. While 16 of the 20 BJP candidates were crorepati, 34 from the NDPP were in the bracket.
Issues
- Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation demanded separate state or union territory for Frontier Nagaland. The ENPO called for a boycott of the state assembly election.
- Janata Dal (United) has raised the issue of unemployment, stating that 90,000 educated youths in Nagaland are still unemployed.
- The separatist movement in Nagaland which has started since India got its independence.
- The demand for the removal of the Centre-enforced Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958 by many Naga Organizations.
- Various organisations have demanded for the imposition of the Inner Line Permit system in the state to regulate entry of outsiders into the state, and for employment throughout the state and inter-state.
Campaigns
Clean Election
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council continues its Clean Election Movement with this state elections. NBCC first conceived the campaign in 1973 in time for the 1974 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election. Its aim was to prevent people from selling their votes or accepting bribe. Ever since, the campaign has gained momentum into a church-facilitated movement. However, NBCC leaders acknowledge that there has not been 'elaborate visible progress, but it is gaining ground slowly.' For the 2023 state elections, NBCC launched the campaign through its 20 affiliated and 4 associate church associations mid-2021. This year, CEM is part of the church's celebrations of 150 years of Christianity in Nagaland. The Chakhesang Clean Election Movement launched by the tribe's Baptist church council went further to declare that church workers who wish to involve in the election campaign must resign first and abstain from church-related ministry for a period of five years.In October 2022, CEM issued a statement registering their protest over the declaration of a consensus candidate from Chungtia village in Mokokchung district accompanied with punitive and dismissive repercussions. They were clear that a consensus candidate through the diktat of the village council is an electoral malpractice and against the Election Code of Conduct. CEM also condemned possible declarations by other village councils or groups and called the church to be more vigilant against these practices. However, the condemnation came in rather late as the consensus candidate was declared by the Chungtia Senso Mungdang on 28 December 2021 followed by the notification from the Chungtia Village Council warning the villagers of a penalty of seven pigs for not following the diktat. A Writ petition filed at the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court challenging the village resolution was first listed for hearing on 27 October 2022. T. Chalukumba Ao, a resident of the village, had approached the court challenging the resolution and consequential notice. Similarly, the Bench has admitted the case against the consensus candidate flouted by the Mongsenyimti Riongsanger Putu Menden and their resolutions in December 2021, June 2022, and October 2022. Consequent to the case regarding the village's consensus candidate, the Chungtia Senso Mungdang withdrew its resolution and the Chungtia Village Council withdrew its penalty of seven pigs on detractors.
Surveys & polls
Exit polls
Election Commission of India had banned exit polls for the period between 7am on 16 February and 7pm on 27 February 2023. Accordingly, the exit polls were published in the evening of 27 February 2023.| Polling agency | Lead | ||||
| Polling agency | NEDA | NPF | INC | Others | Lead |
| India Today-Axis My India | 38-48 | 3-8 | 1-2 | 5-15 | 35-40 |
| Zee News-Matrize | 35-43 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 6-12 | 33-38 |
| Times Now-ETG | 39-49 | 4-8 | 0 | 6-17 | 35-41 |
| India News-Jan Ki Baat | 35-45 | 6-10 | 0 | 9-15 | 29-35 |
| Poll of Polls | 42 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 36 |
| Actual Result | 37 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 14 |