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ITANAGAR, May 5 – An estimated 50 per cent voters exercised their franchise in two Lok Sabha constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh today despite the ongoing 48-hour statewide bandh called by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union to enforce poll boycott to protest the inclusion of names of 1497 refugees in the state electoral roll.

Though there was no major incident, repolling has been ordered at a polling station near Palin in Kurung Kumey district and another at Chayang Tajo in East Kameng district. According to election office sources, bandh supporters damaged an electronic voting...

Diyun, May 4: His community waited 40 years for the stamp of legitimacy, but Mukut Kumar Hajong can’t seem to wait even half that many hours to make his voting debut. One of the few Chakmas and Hajongs to be included in the electoral rolls of Arunachal Pradesh, Mukut said on the eve of polling that he would “try to be the first one to vote” when the clock strikes seven tomorrow morning.

Only 1,497 Chakmas and Hajongs can vote this time, but the enthusiasm of the communities about being given the opportunity to play a part in an Indian election for the first time more than makes up for the lack...

Agartala, May 4: The honeymoon between the ruling CPM and the newly-formed National Socialist Party of Tripura (NSPT) appears to be over with the Left Front government slashing the quantum of grants promised to the cash-strapped Autonomous District Council. A source said the CPM was upset with the NSPT leadership for allegedly not co-operating with it during the Lok Sabha campaign.

Though NSPT president and former deputy Speaker Gaurishankar Reang and ADC chief executive member Hirendra Kumar Tripura shared the dais with chief minister Manik Sarkar at rallies in Shantir Bazar and Agartala...

Nagaon, May 4: The pro-talks faction of the United People’s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) today asked the apex organisation of the Kuki community to be realistic about its demand for a separate regional council for the Singhasan Hills of Karbi Anglong. It said the Kukis were neither an indigenous tribe of the district nor the dominant community in terms of population to deserve a separate regional council within the boundary of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council.

UPDS publicity secretary Tong-Eh-Nongloda accused both the Kuki National Assembly and the Kuki Inpi, Assam, of attempting to gain...

ITANAGAR, May 3 – A forum – the ‘Rights of Indian Citizens in Arunachal Pradesh’ has been formed to examine the effect of restrictions like Inner Line Permit (ILP) and on the citizens’ permanent residentship in the State in the wake of inclusion of Chakma-Hajong refugees in the electoral rolls, reports PTI.

A 13-member ad-hoc committee under the chairmanship of the Opposition Congress MLA TC Teli has been formed and will meet after the ongoing Lok Sabha polls to work out the detailed agenda.

Teli told newsmen here on Sunday that while the genuine Indian citizens who had “given their lives”...