New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (EC) has dismissed a petition seeking cancellation of registration of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which leads the alliance government in Nagaland.

The petition, under Section 29A of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, was filed by a resident of the state, Zeneisilie Ate Louchii, in December 2017. It accused several NDPP members of furnishing “false and fabricated information” under the ECI’s Guideline 3 (IX) – mandatory for the formation of a party.

Formed in October 2017, NDPP is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with which it formed a government in the state after the March 2018 assembly polls. As per an understanding, while NDPP got the chief minister’s post, BJP filled the deputy chief minister’s post in the state.

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Loucii, who belongs to Northern Angami II assembly constituency, from where NDPP chief and the state chief minister Neiphu Rio was elected unopposed in the assembly elections, also submitted additional documents to the ECI on May 8, 2018, to substantiate her allegations. 

As per the ECI’s Guideline 3 (IX), individual affidavits from at least 100 members of the party should be filed stating that they are registered electors and not a member of any other political party registered with the Commission.

However, Loucii attached documents to claim that party members Peter Kuotsu, Abu Metha and Theyiekielei Tachii were members of another regional party – the Naga People’s Front (NPF) – at the time of furnishing of affidavits to the ECI. According to a press note released by her in mid May last year, as many as 13 of the 103 members who filed affidavits with the ECI in May 2017 to form the party “appeared to have lied”.

NDPP was born out of a factional fight within the NPF. 

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However, the EC, this past February 7, dismissed the contention after a series of hearing of both the sides. A 16-page order signed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa termed the arguments of the petitioners only as “inference”.

The order said, “We do not accept the argument that membership in NPF can be inferred from the circumstances…therefore, there is no evidence brought on record to show that the member concerned filed false affidavits as alleged in the complaint.”

NDPP, in a press note issued on February 11, welcomed the decision. It said, “Ever since the filing of the complaint on May 7, 2018, the NDPP had placed its unwavering belief on the legal system of the country and never once doubted that true justice will be delivered by the ECI.”    

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