The Nagaland government, on Thursday (May 16), appealed to the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) and its constituent bodies to participate in the upcoming urban local body elections in the state, slated for June 26.

Addressing a press conference on the issues of public emergency declared by the ENPO in eastern Nagaland areas and its decision to abstain from central and state elections at the secretariat conference hall in Kohima, Nagaland power and parliamentary affairs minister KG Kenye said the state cabinet earlier held a meeting to deliberate on the sequence of events that took place and also the organisation’s latest statement to abstain from the civic body elections.

Kenye explained that the elections to the urban local bodies are being conducted at the direction of the Supreme Court after a prolonged legal battle involving the women’s reservation in the civic bodies in the state in the larger interest of the public and their welfare.