Patterns of political participation: An assessment of voting behaviour in Mokokchung District of Nagaland

Voting is one of the vital ingredients towards the fulfillment of a democratic institution. It is a tool for measuring the nature and extent of political participation of the voters. Since statehood, Nagaland has witnessed a high turnout almost throughout the National and State elections. Interestingly in the last Lok Sabha Election held in 2013, the state recorded the highest voters turnout at 87.8 percent with the national average of 66.4 percent, which was also the highest that India has ever seen in a national election. This indicates widespread acceptance of and participation in modern democratic process which is interestingly embedded in a predominantly traditional social structure. It is generally considered that higher the terms of participation, the healthier is the growth of a democratic system. The present paper will therefore assess the voting behaviour of the electorates which will provide better understanding on the patterns of political participation.