KOHIMA, Jan 12 — A day after the Election Commission set the tone of electioneering in Nagaland, Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) on Sunday announced that the regional party in principle had agreed to have an alliance with BJP, Samata Party and other like-minded national parties for the February 26 Assembly elections in the state, reports PTI.
Former Congress MP, Imchalemba, who recently joined the rechristened NPF, said the decision to have the poll alliance was taken at a meeting at the residence of Samata Party president and Defence Minister George Fernandes recently in New Delhi, which was attended by Front leaders and BJP president Venkaiah Naidu.
NPF leaders have been camping in Delhi for the past week and met leaders of non-Congress political parties keeping in view the coming Assembly elections in the state for which the Election Commission announced the schedules, on Saturday. The NPF delegation led by former home minister in the SC Jamir cabinet Neiphiu Rio also met NCP general secretary PA Sangma and sought his support to strengthen anti-Congress forces in Nagaland.
Imchalamba conveyed the decision of the meeting in a letter to BJP vice-president Pyarelal Khandelwal, saying the parties also agreed to hold a joint rally at Kohima on January 22. Requesting the BJP president and other national leaders of the party to attend the Kohima rally, the letter urged Khandelwal to convey the message to the BJP North-east in-charge to speed up the arrangement.