Election Commission of Nagaland

About Election Commission of Nagaland

Nagaland consists of a single-chamber legislative assembly; in other words, it has a unicameral legislature, consisting of only one house of the state legislative assembly, called the Vidhan Sabha. The seat of the legislative assembly is at Kohima, the state capital. Nagaland is represented by one member in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha, because of its comparatively low population.

History and formation

Under the provisions of the Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992 and the Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992, the State Election Commissions are entrusted with supervising the preparation of the electoral rolls for the groundwork and conduct of the elections of Panchayats and Municipalities. Peaceful and unbiased elections have been conducted in India at regular intervals by the Election Commission, as per the precepts laid out in the Constitution. The State Election Commission of Nagaland has been empowered to conduct electoral processes within the state of Nagaland. The commission is headed by the State Election Commissioner. There is a secretary too, who is designated as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state.

During the late 1940s, the then Naga territory was under the Naga National Council, until it became the 16th state of the Indian Union in 1963. Earlier, Nagaland was a sovereign district in Assam, consisting of Tuensang and Naga hills division, during late 1950s. Following the demands of Naga people, the Indian government agreed to the formation of a separate state. Nagaland constituted an intervening body of 42 members before the first assembly elections were held, with the temporary executive council headed by a Chief Executive Councilor. Mr. P. Shilo, who was earlier appointed as the first Executive Councilor, became the first chief minister of Nagaland after the elections to the state assembly. The first Nagaland Legislative Assembly was formed on February 11, 1964. In 1975, president's rule was imposed on Nagaland until the fourth assembly was elected in 1977. In 1988 the state again had to face president’s rule but fortunately, for a much shorter time.

Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEO) of Nagaland

The present Chief Electoral Commissioner of Nagaland is Shri Abhijit Sinha, IAS. He is a 2000 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre and took over as the Chief Electoral Officer of Nagaland on May 28, 2017.

Officers appointed

The State Election Commission of Nagaland has several officers to carry out its electoral duties and activities in the state. The names of the officers are as follows:

• Chief Electoral Officer: Shri Abhijit Sinha
• Additional Chief Electoral Officer: Shri N. Moa Aier
• Joint Chief Electoral Officer: Shri Khekugha Sema
• Deputy Chief Electoral Officer: Shri Vekho Vero
• Deputy Chief Electoral Officer: Shri Ruokuovituo Khezhie
• Asstt. Chief Electoral Officer: Shri Awa Lorin
• Asstt. Chief Electoral Officer: Shri R Mhathung