Nagaland Assembly elections 2018: 41% increase in average assets of MLAs re-contesting in 2018

There are 53 MLAs who contested in 2013 and are trying their luck again in Nagaland assembly polls in 2018. While in 2013, the average assets of those who recontested were Rs 3.06 crores, in 2018, the average assets of MLAs who are recontesting is Rs 4.31 crores.

There has been a growth in the average assets of re-contesting MLAs by 41 per cent or Rs 1.24 crore, as per the affidavits analysed by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).

Of the 41 leaders who are recontesting in 2018, Naga People's Front (NPF) has the biggest share with 28 MLAs. It is followed by Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) with 12 recontesting MLAs, nine are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), three from National People’s Party (NPP) and one from the Janata Dal United (JDU). 

Yitachu from NPF held assets worth 6 crore in 2013 but in 2018, he had had a 161 per cent jump and now holds assets worth over Rs 17 crore. G Kaito Aye, who fought in 2013 on an NPF ticket, is now with the JDU and hold assets worth over Rs 14 crore, a whopping 305 per cent increase as compared to the last elections when he had assets worth Rs 3 crore.

The Polling on all 60 seats in Nagaland will be held on February 27 while the counting of votes will be done on March 3.

On January 18, the Election Commission of India had announced the polling dates for Assembly elections 2018 in the northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

As for the Nagaland state assembly, the Naga People's Front is currently dominating the House.

Various Naga groups had called for deferring the upcoming assembly elections in order to facilitate a solution to the seven-decade-old Naga insurgency.

Nagaland-based civil society groups have demanded the signing of a final peace accord with the insurgent group NSCN-IM before the assembly elections in the state.