Kohima: Nagaland BJP President Benjamin Yepthomi blasted the Congress party on September 28 for its shifting position on Electronic Voting Machines. He accused the opposition of attacking the integrity of election systems only when the BJP wins. Yepthomi challenged the party to stop its politics of allegation without evidence. He stated, "We cannot make serious allegations against India's democracy and expect the allegation itself to become the evidence."
Congress leaders see it differently. District Congress Committees across Dimapur, Mokokchung, Wokha, Peren, Longleng, Noklak, and Tuensang held protests on the same day. They targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The party demanded his resignation and arrest, citing concerns over the Special Intensive Revision process and electoral roll changes. They claim these actions threaten democratic independence.
BJP officials defended the roll clean-up. General Secretary Sunep C Jamir noted that deletions accounted for roughly 1.06 percent of the electorate, targeting duplicate and ineligible entries. He reported 25 lakh deletions in Uttar Pradesh and 17 lakh in Maharashtra. Both men argued that internal consensus drives the Election Commission.
Election talk is heating up for 2028. BJP grassroots leaders have pushed to contest all 60 seats alone, potentially ending the party's seat-sharing deal with the NDPP. The proposal sits with the central leadership.
Yepthomi also addressed local turmoil. He backed former Chief Minister Dr. SC Jamir on recent political remarks, claiming 70 percent of sitting legislators secretly agree with him. He then pivoted to the state's alcohol prohibition. He called current Special Investigation Teams into recent alcohol-related deaths in Tuensang and Mokokchung a total eyewash. He urged the government to either enforce the dry law strictly or legalize and regulate liquor sales entirely.
Updated at 29th September 2026 at 5:49pm
Regarding the electoral roll controversy, Sunep C Jamir addressed concerns over Form 6 and the centralization of data. He stated that previous requests for family history were merely administrative filters meant to verify residency rather than unauthorized rule changes. He also noted that the selection panel for election commissioners includes the Leader of the Opposition, countering claims of unilateral control.
On the 2028 elections, the BJP state chief clarified that the push to contest all 60 seats originated from written proposals submitted by mandal and district-level leaders. He also addressed the controversy surrounding Dr. SC Jamir by stating, "I am not saying he is infallible, none of us are perfect; only God is perfect." He maintained that despite their differing political affiliations, he felt compelled to support the veteran leader's stance because he believed the statements reflected the truth.
Regarding the recent deaths from spurious liquor, Yepthomi specifically questioned the logic of maintaining two state-authorized bonded warehouses while the prohibition act remains in effect. He argued that elected representatives need the backbone to speak honestly if they truly want to fix the state systems.
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