Nagaland: Behind the Curtain

The Nagaland People's Front won the lone Lok Sabha seat in the state, defeating prominent Congress and Trinamool Congress rivals. It was, in a sense, an endorsement for Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio's Eastern Nagaland policy that the electorate gave weight to the performance of the regional party when voting for its representative from the state. However, all is not well with the democratic process in Nagaland, where village councils and other local bodies flex their muscles to ensure votes go to candidates of their choice.