NPF snaps ties with BJP

Courtesy : Nagaland Post

Dimapur, Jan 16 (NPN): T.R .ZELIANG TO LEAD NPF Staff Reporter

In a significant political development having far reaching ramification, the NPF has reaffirmed its resolution adopted on July 19,2017 in Kohima, when its Central Executive Council, Central Office Bearers, Division Presidents and Frontal organisation office bearers decided to sever all ties with its Central Office Bearers(COB)

This was among four other resolutions adopted by the NPF at a meeting of its Central Officer Bearers(COB) held in Kohima on Monday evening.

The NPF also resolved that chief minister T.R.Zeliang will continue and also will be the chief ministerial candidate of the NPF in the event the party returns to power after the 2018 assembly election.

It was also resolved that no MP of the NPF will be allowed to return to state politics without completing the tenure in parliament. This particular resolution was being seen as an attempt to send a strong message to Lok Sabha MP Neiphiu Rio against entering the fray.
Reliable sources told Nagaland Post that the COB resolution is likely to have a cascading effect on political realignments in the coming days.

By the fourth resolution, the NPF has also decided that the party will field only winnable candidates for the 2018 assembly election. It is believed that more than half of the present NPF legislators and Independent aspirants will not be issued party tickets.

The above resolutions of the COB of the NPF with regard to severance of ties with the BJP has taken many members by surprise as it was believed the patch up between NPF president Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu and chief minister T. R. Zeliang had resolved all matters.

The NPF party wings had passed the resolution to sever ties with BJP on July 19 following the dismissal of Dr. Shürhozelie Liezietsu as chief minister by the Governor and the BJP’s role in supporting T. R. Zeliang during the crisis in July.

The ties between the NPF and BJP stretch way back to 1977 during the formation of Janata Party which was formed as a national alternative to Congress.

Two new political entrants to the state- Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party(NDPP) led by former Congress veteran Chingwang Konyak as president and retired chief secretary Alemtemshi Jamir as working president and the National People’s Party(NPP) of late P.A.Sangma and presently headed by Conrad Sangma MP(Lok Sabha) will hope to reap dividends at the expense of NPF.

Those current NPF legislators who are unlikely to get party tickets could switch over to either of the three parties- BJP, NPP and NDPP.
In the event NPF decides it can go it alone then the BJP can bang on NPP an alliance partner of NDA.

The NPF decision also throws a spanner in the scheme of the North East Democratic Alliance(NEDA) a regional alliance which is part of the NDA at the centre.

With elections to several states including Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura likely to be announced through a notification by the Election Commission of India(ECI), all contending and intending parties are positioning themselves for the big fight.