Women keeping liquor away from voters

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Nagaland is a dry state, but with the February 27 Assembly election campaign gaining momentum, a women's organisation in Phek district has set up check-gates to restrict the flow of liquor offered as inducement to voters in the district during the poll process.

Phek is occupied by Chakhesang and Pochury tribes having five assembly constituencies with four seats in Chakhesang area and has some villages in Meluri constituency of the Pochury tribe.

Concerned about the ill effects of liquor and also liquor offered as inducement during Assembly elections, the womenfolk of the Chakhesang Naga tribe under the Chakhesang Mothers' Association (CMA) have put up around 100 check-points in their area, Zhonelü Tunyi, president of CMA, the apex body of womenfolk for Chakhesang community in Phek district told PTI. "During elections the flow of liquor as inducement is very high while many people get into physical fights and clashes in support of candidates becoming enemies and even leading to killing.

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"Therefore, our main objective is to have a free, fair and inducement free election with the expectation that once such flow of inducements is stopped, people will remain sober and avoid getting into conflicts," she said.

Also during elections, once people get drunk without being shameful they repeatedly ask money from candidates and political leaders, she said.

"We are getting support from all the 80 villages while villages having borders with other districts and even neighbouring Manipur state has 3-4 checkpoints," Tunyi said. Thousands of mothers are engaged in the process, she said.

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