Politics / Nagaland

KOHIMA, March 6 — A 28-member Democratic Alliance of Nagaland Ministry headed by Neiphiu Rio was today sworn in Nagaland, bringing to office the first non-Congress dispensation in the state in a decade, reports PTI. Of the ministers, 22 were of cabinet rank and six of state whose portfolios would be announced very soon, the Chief Minister said. He hinted there could be further expansion “as and when required”.

The DAN, a conglomerate of five regional and non-Congress political parties, enjoys a strength of 38 in the 60-member house with support of four independents. All DAN constituents, the...

Kohima, March 5: Humour and music play important roles in Neiphiu Rio’s life. On the eve of becoming the 17th chief minister of Nagaland, the veteran politician will have possibly reflected that he will require dollops of humour to retain his sanity while facing the music from a large band of detractors.

The NSCN (Khaplang)’s threat to assassinate prominent persons, not excluding the new chief minister and his Cabinet colleagues, was surely not the beginning Rio had hoped for. However, there is no stopping the Naga community and others who have made the state their home from hoping that the...

Kohima, March 5: For the first time in Nagaland’s history, as many as three national parties will be part of a coalition government modelled on the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. The Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), which has 38 legislators in the 60-member Assembly, today submitted a list of signatures to Governor Shyamal Dutta. Indications are that a new ministry, led by former Congress minister Neiphiu Rio, will be sworn in tomorrow.

The nascent alliance includes the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF), the BJP, the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (United). While Rio is the...

KOHIMA, March 4 — Former Nagaland Chief Minister Hokishe Sema was on Monday unanimously elected leader of the BJP legislature party, which made its maiden entry in state politics by clinching seven seats in the just-concluded election, party sources said.

At a meeting held at Dimapur, BJP legislators unanimously elected Sema as legislature party leader, in presence of BJP vice-president Pyarelal Khandelwal and party in-charge of north-east V Satish and state BJP leaders.

The party legislators would proceed to Kohima to attend the combined meeting of constituents of Democratic Alliance of...

KOHIMA, March 3 — The Nagaland People, Front (NPF) hs expresed its gratitude to the people of Nagaland for giving their mandate to “many veteran, senior and able lenders of the Democratic Frotn of Nagaland (DAN) and its partners.” K Therie, the spokesman fo the NPF said here on Sudnay tht with the supprot of the NDA government at the Centre, they woud try to implement the common minimum programme.

“The main objective of working with the NDA Government at the Centre is to secure a final and permanent settlement to the long standing Naga political problem and people mandate was towards this...

KOHIMA, March 2 – Nagaland Speaker Z Lohe, Deputy Speaker Joshua, prominent sitting Ministers and Congress candidates Imtisungit Jamir, Neiba Ndang, Nillo Rengma, Kakheto, SK Sangtam, P Enyie, Kiyezhe Aye, Zachilhu Vadeo and NDM candidate and former Chief Minister KL Chishi were some of the prominent losers in the 10th Nagaland assembly election while Congress candidates and sitting Ministers TR Zeliang, T Tali and H Chuba were some of the prominent winners.

Several former regional political stalwarts and candidates of main opposition Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) had come back by defeating...

KOHIMA, March 2 — The Democratic Alliance of Nagaland is all set to form a coalition government in the state having received the support of four Independent MLAs,which take their strength to 33 in the 60-member House, reports PTI. Announcing this at a press conference here today, the Nagaland People’s Front, leading constituent of the DAN, spokesman, K Therie, said that the four Independent MLAs had given their written support, thus enabling them to form the government.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister, S C Jamir, said that he had accepted the verdict of the people and would submit his...

Kohima, March 3: The BJP, having proved the pundits wrong by notching up six seats in Christian-dominated Nagaland, is now looking at the big picture, that of taking part in a government likely to be headed by the Nagaland People’s Front.

With the six seats, the BJP has also sought to counter arguments that it has peddled “Hindutva” to garner votes. “We have been arguing that the allegation (peddling Hindutva) is not true. It only proves our point in states which are predominantly Christian,” said Avinash Kohli, co-ordinator of the state unit.

The party has a minuscule presence in Manipur...

March 1: The Left Front has returned to power in Tripura while Meghalaya threw up a hung verdict, as had been widely expected. But the surprise came from Nagaland, as the ruling Congress stared at a possible ouster from power in an upsurge by the Nagaland People’s Front.

In Assam, the ruling Congress won the Ratabari Assembly byelection with its candidate, Kripanath Mallah, defeating his nearest BJP rival Sambhu Singh Mallah by 31,170 votes. Polling was necessitated following the death of Independent MLA Ratish Ranjan Choudhury.

In Nagaland, though the Congress emerged as the single largest...

KOHIMA, March 1 – Nagaland is heading for a fractured mandate in the Assembly elections with the Congress and the Nagaland People's Front running neck and neck with 42 results declared so far, reports PTI. Out of 41 seats, the Congress won 15 and NPF 14 while the BJP got five.

From the available trend, it is almost certain that no single party may cross the 25-seat mark in the 60-member House. The real surprise is the BJP's performance which so far bagged five seats including the prestigious Dimapur-1 constituency from where its candidate and former state chief minister, Hokishe Sema won...