Nagaland goes to polls on February 23. Although all the political parties have started their campaigning for the polls but it would be a low key affair since everyone in Nagaland is more interested to know the progress of the 15 years old peace parley between New Delhi and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim(NSCN-IM) which is in the last phases of finalisation. The Election Commission of India is leaving no stone unturned in trying to woo the young Naga voters to cast their votes. To ensure a healthy turnout, the EC has turned to music, the pulse of Nagaland.
The Election Commission’s voting ambassador will be the sensational Naga singer Alobo Naga and his special composition Let’s Rise up. Alobo was approached by the EC to compose a song for the ensuing assembly polls. He agreed and work on the composition has reached the last stages. Numerous other artists of Nagaland like Mercia Prince, Ilika Zhimomi and the famous Tetseo Sisters will also be performing in the music video, urging both the young and old in Nagaland to come out and take part in the polls, which is seen through the composition as a ‘festival of democracy’.
“The song would involve a lot of people; around 70 Naga artists will give a sense of unity and mass appeal. The song is aimed at the young voters but will inspire everyone to take parting in the polling for building a better nation” Alobo told reporters in Dimapur.
Alobo has earlier broken into the MTV chartbuster, his band recently became the first band from the Northeast to represent India in the first phase of the highly popular MTV European Music Awards, reason enough for the EC to look him up. Alobo and his band are riding a huge popularity wave in Nagaland and his composition for the EC will have a lot of takers. Perhaps the song would increase the voter turn out in Nagaland beyond the 2008 turnout of 85 percent, and a few might come strumming their guitars too.
With inputs from Caisii Mao in Dimapur.
