Nagaland IAS couple on leave to allow fair play in son’s electoral battle

Chief secretary Jamir

IT SOUNDS odd that two senior-most IAS officers of Nagaland, chief secretary Alemtemshi Jamir and additional chief secretary Banou Z Jamir, are on leave these days when this North-Eastern state goes to assembly poll on February 23. This 1977 batch power couple is not sulking, but…
facilitating a fair play during elections as their son Merentoshi is aspiring to be an MLA with a ticket from ruling Naga People’s Front. Jamirs told local media that they were on leave from last Friday till the election is over, mainly to prevent any misgivings among voters and political parties.
As reported, 32-year-old Merentoshi has been campaigning hard, making every attempt to woo youths in his constituency of less than 15,000 voters. An alumnus of St Stephen’s College, Merentoshi has been telling everyone that he would be the voice of Naga youths. He is fighting the battle against former minister Dr Nganshi Ao, an independent candidate who had supported the ruling party and became a minister.
Alemtemshi Jamir took over as chief secretary last month. His wife Banou Z Jamir is currently additional chief secretary in-charge of border affairs under home department. Both have been working only in the state and have never gone on a Central deputation.
This is, however, not the first time that bureaucrats’ sons and daughters have taken a plunge on electoral battles. In UP, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s ministerial colleague and IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus Abhishek Mishra won the assembly election last year when his father Jai Shanker Mishra was serving as an IAS. Father Mishra was however on a Central deputation then. Even in Lucknow (East) seat, Juhie Singh, daughter of former UP chief secretary Akhand Pratap Singh, gave a tough fight to BJP heavyweight Kalraj Mishra but did not succeed.