Will Nagaland Have a Worthy Opposition?

The NPF in Nagaland appears to be heading the way of the INC in Meghalaya. Though it emerged as the party with the single largest majority, it has secured two seats less than the coalition of the NDPP and the BJP. The JD(U) has announced its support for the NDPP-BJP alliance. This would bring the tally of the three parties to 30 seats, less than the 31 needed to form the government. The NPP, on the other hand, has reiterated its commitment to an alliance with the NPF which would bring their combined tally to 29. The independent candidate has pledged support to the NDPP led coalition.

TR Zeliang the incumbent Chief Minister has refused to vacate his position as Chief Minister and has appealed to Amit Shah about stitching together a coalition of NPF and BJP minus the Neiphiu Rio led NDPP. The NPF party president and former Chief Minister, Shürhozelie Liezietsu, on the other hand, has ruled out any alliance with the BJP, regardless of whether the NDPP is a part of it. As it stands, the NPF camp is divided on the issue of allying with the BJP however, the consensus is unanimously against the NDPP.

This antipathy towards the NDPP can be traced back to the infighting that was the staple when Rio led the government in Nagaland under the NPF. As an MP the infighting revolved around the troika of Rio, Zeliang and Liezietsu. Finally, Rio quit the party while Zeliang and Liezietsu patched up. Rio quitting was allegedly due to the NPF parting ways with the BJP. This sowed the seeds of uncertainty which prevails till today over whether the NPF is allied to the BJP or not. The NDPP led coalition has the numbers, however, if the NPF is not accommodated Nagaland could for one of the first times in its history actually have an opposition. However, Neiphiu Rio is more than capable of causing a split in the NPF, if not bringing the entire lot into the NDPP. At present, it seems likely that the Rio led NDPP will make overtures to sections of the NPF and the two winning candidates of the NPP in a bid to cement its majority.

What remains a nagging issue is the status of the talks between the Government of India and the NNPGs. There were rumours that Rio had said that the final agreement would be signed on August 10. However, he dispelled these, stating that the talks are a delicate process and one should not fall prey to such rumours. The NSCN(IM) has also been quiet since the elections were announced, despite being quite vocal during the period when the boycott agitation was proceeding. This present silence could be a result of representations from the interlocutor for the Indian Government, R N Ravi. It could also be the beginning of a cold realisation that their relevance is declining and that they too may one day become a non-entity like the various factions of the NNC.