Kohima: The Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) has decided to contest the Rajya Sabha biennial election from the state, thereby indicating a friction in the ruling alliance.
This development takes place as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already announced S Phangnon Konyak’s nomination for the lone seat.
NPF president Shurhozelie Leizietsu has asked legislature party leader TR Zeliang to take steps to contest the Rajya Sabha biennial election, ANI reported
“We are happy to inform you that Thenucho Tnyi, one of our working presidents, has come forward to stand as an NPF nominee for the biennial election to the Rajya Sabha if no other candidate comes forward from the legislature group,” the NPF president said in his letter earlier on Saturday.
Leizietsu asked Zeliang to initiate the NPF candidate’s nomination process and also called for signing of the papers by the required number of MLAs on March 21 morning.
A senior NPF leader said that an emergency meeting of the party leaders and the MLAs will be held on Sunday in Kohima to discuss the Rajya Sabha poll issue.
The NPF leader further said his party is part of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government in the state led by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the BJP.
“The BJP has already fielded S Phangnon Konyak for the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat and she's a consensus nominee of the BJP and NDPP,” he added.
Konyak, the saffron party’s state Mahila Morcha president is, however, likely to sail through even if the NPF fields its nominee.
The 60-member Nagaland Assembly consists of the NDPP (21 MLAs), the BJP (12 MLAs) and the NPF (25 MLAs), besides two Independents.
The scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 22, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature has been scheduled on March 24.
The counting of votes of the poll scheduled on March 31 will take place on the day of polling from 5 p.m. onwards.