It is now more than clear that the contentious issue of a Greater Lim is going to dominate the forthcoming Assembly election, especially in the Naga dominated hill districts of the State.

The United Naga Council has also spelt out the first Commandment for the aspiring Naga candidates and that is they should not contest the election under any National political party.

The logic behind this move can be easily understood for once a candidate is elected as a member of a National political party, then he/she has to toe the line of the party's high command and this may not always be in the interest of the Greater Lim demand.

The idea is to let the candidates contest the election under a regional party or a party which will abide and stand by the demand of Nagalim.

It can also be interpreted as a political move to control the elected members and to do the bidding of the UNC whenever the need arises.

This experiment has already proven successful with the Outer Parliamentary MP, Mani Charenamei.

If Mr Charenamei had won the election as a member of a National party, then it is doubtful if he would have been able to push the Great Lim agenda as forcefully as he has done in Parliament.

In other words, the idea is to control the elected representatives and in place of the party's high command at Delhi, the high command in effect becomes the Naga civil society organisations, particularly the UNC, which is the apex Naga social organisation in the State.

The outcome of the election is anyone's guess, but already the writing on the wall is becoming clearer by the day.

In the Naga dominated hill districts, the election will be fought on the basis of the Greater Nagaland issue while other issues which are important, will be put to the cold storage.

Developmental works, corruption, clean and effective administration etc will be given the short shrift and all the candidates will be playing the Greater Lim cards to the gallery.

How much this will go on to better the lot of the people living in the far flung places is another question though.

If the writ of the UNC is that the Naga candidates should stay away from the National parties, then will it mean the death of the Congress, BJP, NCP and others in the hill districts, particularly the Naga dominated districts of Senapati, Ukhrul, Tamenglong and Chandel ?

Only time can answer this question, but the heat is already on the National parties and it remains to be seen what strategies they adopt to meet the new challenge.

If a free and fair election can be assured hundred percent then the National parties may not have any reason to worry, but reality tells a different story and given the topography of the hills and the wide geographical areas, providing adequate security will be a tall order to follow.

Then there is also the question of how sincerely and seriously, the Central forces such as the Assam Rifles would be ready to provide security during the election.

Practically for the Central security personnel, they have no stake in the State election and given this fact, they may not like to fish in troubled waters.

It is more than clear that the election in the hills is going to be dictated by what the Naga civil society organisations say in the backdrop of the Greater Lim demand and the definition of a true Naga political worker will be given by them and no one else.

Given this, we will not be surprised to see if the election in the hill districts is reduced to something of a circus !