Legislative Assembly elections were held in
Nagaland
Nagaland () is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the ...
on
27 February 2023 to elect all
60 members of the
Nagaland Legislative Assembly
Nagaland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian state of Nagaland. Nagaland became a state of India on 1 December 1963 and after election in January 1964, the first Nagaland Legislative Assembly was formed on 11 Februa ...
. The votes were counted and the results were declared on 2 March 2023.
Background
The tenure of
13th Nagaland Assembly
The Thirteenth Legislative Assembly of Nagaland was constituted after the 2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election which was held on 27 February 2018 in 59 out of 60 constituencies for the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland. The scheduled elec ...
is scheduled to end on 12 March 2023. The
previous assembly elections were held in February 2018. After the election, coalition of
Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party
The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is a regional political party in the Indian state of Nagaland. Chingwang Konyak is the president of NDPP. The symbol of the party is a globe.
The NDPP was formed by Naga People's Front rebe ...
and
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the List of ruling p ...
formed the
state government, with
Neiphiu Rio
Neiphiu Guolhoulie Rio (born 11 November 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 9th Chief Minister of Nagaland. Rio has also served as Chief Minister for three separate terms (2002–07, 2007–12, 2012–14 and 2018–till date), making ...
becoming
Chief Minister
A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...
. BJP severed ties with its local ally,
Naga People's Front
The Naga People's Front (NPF) is a regional political party in Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh . It headed the Nagaland government with the Bharatiya Janata Party, as part of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland from 2003 to 2018. NP ...
to form the government despite NPF emerging as the single largest party.
Defections
On April 2022, 21
NPF MLAs joined
NDPP along with then leader of the opposition reducing
NPF strength to 4.
On November 2022, three
BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
District President
A district of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches.
A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is a ...
of
Kohima
Kohima (; Angami Naga: ''Kewhira'' ()), is the capital of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Originally known as ''Kewhira'', Kohima was founded i ...
,
Wokha
Wokha is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Nagaland. It is the headquarters of Wokha District and is located about 75 km north of the state capital Kohima. Wokha literally means ''head count'' or ''census'' in Lotha language. ...
and
Peren joined
JD(U)
Janata Dal (United) ("People’s Party (United)”) abbreviated as JD(U) is an Indian political party with political presence mainly in eastern and north-eastern India. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar , Aruna ...
as a major jolt to
BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
Schedule
The election schedule was announced by the
Election Commission of India
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body. It was established by the Constitution of India to conduct and regulate elections in the country. Article 324 of the Constitution provides that the power of superintendence, dir ...
on 18 January 2023.
Parties and alliances

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.
Others
In a press release issued on 22 January 2023,
Janata Dal (United)
Janata Dal (United) ("People’s Party (United)”) abbreviated as JD(U) is an Indian political party with political presence mainly in eastern and north-eastern India. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar , Arunachal P ...
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(U) 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
Issues
*Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO) demanded separate state or union territory for
Frontier Nagaland (or Eastern Nagaland or formerly called as Tuensang Division). The ENPO called for a boycott of the state assembly election.
*
Janata Dal (United)
Janata Dal (United) ("People’s Party (United)”) abbreviated as JD(U) is an Indian political party with political presence mainly in eastern and north-eastern India. JD(U) is recognised as a state party in the states of Bihar , Arunachal P ...
has raised the issue of
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refer ...
, stating that 90,000 educated youths in Nagaland are still unemployed.
*The
separatist
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...
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
Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 is an act of the Parliament of India that grants special powers to the Indian Armed Forces to maintain public order in "disturbed areas". According to the Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 19 ...
of 1958 by many Naga Organizations.
*Various organisations have demanded for the imposition of the
Inner Line Permit
Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the concerned state government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period. It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those state ...
(ILP) 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
The Nagaland Baptist Church Council is a Baptist Christian organization based in Nagaland, India. It is affiliated with the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India and the Baptist World Alliance. The headquarters is located in Kohima, t ...
(NBCC) continues its Clean Election Movement (CEM) with this state elections. NBCC first conceived the campaign in 1973 in time for the
1974 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly were held in February 1974 to elect members of the 60 constituencies in Nagaland, India. United Democratic Front won the most number of seats and Vizol Angami was appointed as the Chief Ministe ...
. 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
Chungtia is an Ao Naga village in Nagaland, India. It lies in the Ongpangkong range and is located 16 km north-west of Mokokchung. The Mokokchung-Mariani Highway passes through its eastern corner. It is located at an altitude of {{Convert, ...
village in
Mokokchung district
Mokokchung District (Pron:/ˌməʊkɒkˈtʃʌŋ/) is a district of Nagaland state in India. The town of Mokokchung is its headquarters. The district is the home of the Ao Nagas. It is bounded by the state of Assam to its north, Wokha Distr ...
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 (B Toshikaba Longchar)
was declared by the Chungtia Senso Mungdang (Chungtia Citizens Forum) on 28 December 2021 followed by the notification from the Chungtia Village Council (CVC) warning the villagers of a penalty of seven pigs for not following the diktat. A
Writ petition
In law, ''certiorari'' is a court process to seek judicial review of a decision of a lower court or government agency. ''Certiorari'' comes from the name of an English prerogative writ, issued by a superior court to direct that the record o ...
filed at the Kohima Bench of the
Gauhati High Court
The Gauhati High Court was promulgated by governor general of India on 1 March 1948 after the '' Government of India Act 1935'' was passed. Establishing the High Court of Assam with effect from 5 April 1948, for the then Province of Assam. It ...
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
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Mongsenyimti
, native_name =
, native_name_lang =
, other_name =
, nickname =
, settlement_type = village
, image_skyline ...
Riongsanger Putu Menden (Mongsenyimti Riongsanger Village Council) 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
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body. It was established by the Constitution of India to conduct and regulate elections in the country. Article 324 of the Constitution provides that the power of superintendence, dir ...
had banned
exit polls
An election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. A similar poll conducted before actual voters have voted is called an entrance poll. Pollsters – usually private companies working for ...
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.
Results
Results by alliance and party
Results by district
Results by constituency
Source:
Incumbent MLA's are highlighted with background color.
See also
*
2023 elections in India
The 2023 elections in India are expected to include those to the Rajya Sabha, to state legislative assemblies of nine states and one union territory, and local bodies.
Lok Sabha by-elections
State legislative assembly elections
Tenta ...
*
Elections in Nagaland
Elections in Nagaland are conducted to elect members of the Lok Sabha and members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
Legislative assembly elections
*1964 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
*1969 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
*197 ...
References
{{Next Indian elections
State Assembly elections in Nagaland
N
2023 State Assembly elections in India