Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that the Congress used the Northeast as an ATM, while the BJP considers the eight states of the region as 'Ashtalakshmi' (eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi) and is working for its peace and development.
Addressing an election rally in Dimapur, he said the NDA is striving to bring permanent peace in Nagaland so that Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is completely lifted from the state.
"The country can't be run by distrusting your own people but by respecting and solving their problems. Earlier, the Northeast had politics of divide, we have now transformed it into divine governance. The BJP does not discriminate people on the basis of religion or region and religion," Modi said.
Noting that there was political instability in Nagaland during Congress rule, he claimed that the grand old party remote-controlled Northeast from Delhi, and siphoned off money meant for its development, while giving primacy to "dynasty politics, from Delhi to Dimapur".
Here are the LIVE updates on the Assembly Elections:
In an unfortunate incident, an election official who was part of a polling party died today after their vehicle met with an accident in West Garo Hills.
As Nagaland goes to the polls on Monday to elect a new Assembly, all eyes will be on four women candidates who are trying to create history by becoming the first women to be elected as a legislator in this North Eastern state.
The BJP and NDPP are contesting the elections on a 20:40 seat-sharing arrangement while the Naga People's Front (NPF) and Congress are contesting in 22 and 23 seats respectively.
Election officials started reaching the booths across Meghalaya on Saturday, trekking steep mountainous paths, crossing muddy rivers and walking for hours as the state prepares for the February 27 polls.
H D R Lyngdoh, former state home minister and a candidate of the United Democratic Party for the constituency, had died of cardiac arrest on February 20.
BJP's mantra for Nagaland is "peace, progress and prosperity," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a rally ahead of assembly elections in the state. "You can't run a country by distrusting your own people. A country is run by respecting your own people. Earlier, there was politics of division here. We changed it to divine politics," he said.
After the roadshow here, the Prime Minister will fly to Tura in West Garo Hills district in the afternoon where he will address a rally at the BCCI-funded Alotgre stadium.
Meghalaya Chief Minister and National People's Party supremo Conrad K Sangma on Thursday claimed that the NPP is set to form the next government in the state and called upon opposition Trinamool Congress supporters to vote for his party.
Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor has said the solution to the Naga peace talks was long overdue, and that his party wants to see it resolved. "Nagas deserve better than this kind of deception, corruption, dishonesty and inefficiency," he said.
The assets of Meghalaya assembly speaker Metbah Lyngdoh, the richest candidate to fight the assembly elections, increased by 68 per cent to Rs 146.31 crore in the last five years, according to a report.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today alleged that the BJP was like a "class bully" that respects no one, as it thinks that it knows everything.
Responding to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's charge that the ruling NDPP-BJP alliance looted Nagaland for 20 years, Nalin Kohli, the party's national spokesperson and the poll in-charge of the Northeast state hit back at him on Wednesday saying that the ruling alliance has only been in power in the state for five years.
In a veiled attack on the BJP at an election rally in Meghalaya, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her party will not allow people coming from outside to impose CAA and NRC on residents of the northeastern state.
She accused the Conrad Sangma government in the state of not undertaking development work and being involved in various scandals.
Accusing the BJP-led central government of cheating the people of Nagaland on the Naga political problem, the Congress on Tuesday asserted that given a chance, it will fulfil the aspirations of the citizens of the northeastern state.
"The Narendra Modi government does not have the political will to put into effect the agreed solutions to the Naga political issue and has cheated the people of Nagaland and the country as well," he said.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Tuesday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for "indulging in political manoeuvring for staying in power" stating that he is confident that the people of Meghalaya can see through this and will use their wisdom to vote on February 27.
"I am absolutely sure that our candidates, manifesto, the way the Congress party has campaigned...We may not have the resources to match the BJP for example, but we have the people's willingness, support and blessings of our voters. So, I think we will do very well and the next Government that will be formed will be a Congress Government and in other states also we are doing very well," said the Congress leader.
Two persons were kidnapped from the residence of a Naga People's Front (NPF) candidate and a vehicle was set on fire in Mon district of poll-bound Nagaland, a top police officer said on Tuesday. One person was later released by the kidnappers while an operation was on to rescue the other, he said. "There was an incident of two persons being taken away from the residence of the Naga Peoples Front (NPF) candidate from Tizit assembly constituency last night," Mon superintendent of police T Uniel Kichu told PTI. The two persons were not party members but were staying at the residence of the NPF candidate.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today asserted that Naga peace talks are underway and hoped that the initiative taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring lasting peace in the northeastern state will bear fruit. Addressing an election rally in Tuensang, Mr Shah said there are some issues related to development and rights of eastern Nagaland and those will be addressed after the assembly elections.