The apex body of a major ethnic community has asked Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi to pursue the State’s delimitation exercise only after the peace process with the extremist groups is settled.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had in March told the 60-member State Assembly that the delimitation exercise would be conducted soon.
The Centre had in 2002 asked the State to conduct the exercise but the State government rejected it, citing “faulty and unrealistic” project of the population in 2001. The State was prodded again after the 2011 Census showed negative population growth over the decade.
Mr. Rio had later admitted that delimitation would be a “very difficult exercise” as it would have to be rational and based on the population. The State’s population of 1.79 lakh in 2011 was more than 11,000 less than in 2001.
The Sumi Hoho, the main social organisation of the Sumi Naga community, pointed out that one of the major demands of the “negotiating parties” was increasing the number of Assembly seats in the State.
The negotiating parties include the National Socialist Council of Nagalim or the Isak-Muivah faction of NSCN and the Naga National Political Groups, a conglomerate of seven other outfits. The talks have been on since mid-1997.
“It is learnt that the Government of India is all set to carry out delimitation exercise in Nagaland along with some other States, which contradicts the expectation of the Nagas. Therefore, keeping in view the anticipated favourable outcome of the Indo-Naga peace talks... keep the delimitation in abeyance as of now and ensure the conclusion of Naga political talks at the earliest,” the Sumi Hoho said in a statement on May 28.
