Ready to go with BJP for new government: Nagaland CM

New Delhi : The ruling Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) is ready to form a new government in the state with the BJP if it comes forward for a post-poll alliance, Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang said on Saturday.

However, Zeliang virtually ruled out any alliance with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) that fought the state assembly election with the BJP.

Interestingly, the BJP has two ministers in the NPF government in Nagaland but the two parties didn’t fight elections together. Instead, the BJP stitched a pre-poll alliance with the NDPP.

Zeliang said his party has been a BJP ally since 2003. “We are continuing with the alliance. We never parted at any point of time. And we hope that they (BJP) will come forward and join our government.”

He said the NDPP was a new political party and was yet to be recognised by the election commission. “We have no tie with the NDPP. There is no discussion with the NDPP at any point of time.”

According to the latest available trends, the NPF was poised to emerge as the single largest party in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly. It had won 12 seats and was leading in 10 more till early evening, at least nine short of the half-way mark of 31.

The BJP had won five and was leading in seven constituencies and its pre-poll ally the NDPP had won three and was ahead in 14 more seats.

The BJP and the NDPP had put up Neiphiu Rio as their joint chief ministerial candidate.

IANS