Neiphiu Rio back as Nagaland CM, alliance with BJP stronger, heading a govt set to be Oppn-less

The NDPP leader was instrumental in ending Congress run in state; this will be his fifth term as CM

Neiphiu Rio, 72, has been the centre of all of the major twists and turns in Naga politics over the last two decades. (PTI)

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In a further indication of his centrality to Nagaland politics, Neiphiu Rio took over as the Chief Minister of Nagaland for the fifth consecutive time on Tuesday. He also now effectively leads an “Opposition-less” government, having received unconditional support from all parties in the state.

In 2015 and 2021, Opposition-less governments were formed during the ongoing term of a government, but this would be the first ever Assembly which became one even before the House was sworn in. The Lok Jansakthi Party (Ram Vilas), the Republican Party of India (Athawale), Janata Dal (United), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) extended their support to the the alliance of the Nationalist People Democratic Party (NDPP), which he leads, and the BJP.

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The alliance got 37 seats, with the BJP getting 12 seats and the NDPP getting 25 in the 60-member Assembly. Rio won the Northern Angami seat with a 92.87 per cent vote share.

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Rio has won every state election he contested from the constituency since 1989. He was first a Congress leader, then joined the Naga People’s Front (NPF) leader and is currently in the NDPP fold.

Rio, 72, has been the centre of all of the major twists and turns in Naga politics over the last two decades. He has in fact been the catalyst – whether it was the revolt against the Congress’s SC Jamir government or his manoeuvres after joining the NPF in 2003 which ended Jamir’s 10-year CM tenure as well as the Congress’s run in the state.

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The formation of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland in 2003 — comprising the NPF, the BJP, the Janata Dal (United) and the Samata Party — to displace the Congress started the formula of a regional party in the state allying with the BJP to form a government.

During the course of campaigning for the elections, Rio was spotted with several top BJP leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda.

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The BJP saw unrest in the run up to elections with several hopeful candidates and their supporters demanding that the 40:20 seat sharing arrangement with the NDPP be revised to increase the BJP’s share to 30.

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However, the central BJP leadership went ahead with the existing arrangement. Party leaders also suggested that they would want to maintain the amicable relationship with the NDPP, particularly to continue having Rio on their side.

Rio’s relationship with the BJP has been a long and successful one – every CM term of his, first as part of the NPF and then as part of the NDPP, has been in partnership with the BJP. When he left the NPF in 2017 and joined the NDPP — formed by NPF rebels who were his supporters – the BJP too broke off with the NPF that had been their alliance partner of 15 years to join hands with the NDPP.

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