Outgoing Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang dismissed BJP leader and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma’s contention that Manipur NPF is a “different registered party”.
Zeliang said NPF has its headquarters in Kohima. “Manipur NPF is a unit like the BJP has a unit in Nagaland,” he asserted adding they cannot take independent decision on their own.
When asked how it would be possible to form a government in Nagaland without NPF when they are part of the BJP-led government in Manipur, Sarma said, “Manipur NPF is a different registered party.” It would not affect their BJP-led government in Manipur, he said and added that they would continue to have NPF in Manipur Government.
Sarma said the BJP will have no tie with NPF and there is no question of forging an alliance with it to form a government in Nagaland.
The BJP on March 5 severed its 15-year-old ties NPF and decided to form the new government in Nagaland with its pre-poll alliance Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party.
Zeliang assured full support to the new government in all its initiatives that involved the larger interest of Nagas, apart from playing a constructive role of an opposition in furthering the overall cause of the Nagas.
Meanwhile, the NPF has decided to take the election result of 6th Tening Assembly constituency seat in Peren district to court. NPF candidate NR Zeliang, brother of TR Zelaing, was first declared winner after the counting was over on March 3. But a “tabulation error” in counting was detected and review of the result was conducted.
On reviewing the tabulation, rival NDPP candidate Namri Nchang was found to have polled 168 votes more than the NPF candidate and he was declared winner on March 4.