By handing over the reins of the government to Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland, replacing incumbent T R Zeliang, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) has tried to kill two birds with one stone.
Eighty one-year-old Liezietsu is a very popular Naga leader, not only in his own state Nagaland, but also in the hilly areas of neighbouring state Manipur, which is called “South Nagalim” by Naga people, where elections are being held on 4 and 8 March.
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Advantage for BJP?
The BJP, which has four MLAs in the state, and is the part of new ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), will also be benefitted in Manipur elections, it is presumed. But whether the new CM of Nagaland Dr Liezietsu, will also be playing any role in easing out the tension in Manipur, which is facing acute crisis due to the economic blockade imposed by UNC (United Naga Council) is being asked by the observers.
One of the MLAs of BJP, Paiwang Konyak, a leader of the Konyak Naga tribe, has taken oath as cabinet minister in the Liezietsu-led government. The other eight independent MLAs are also part of the alliance.
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NPF’s Prospects in Manipur
NPF (Naga People’s Front) is the major constituent of DAN, with 48 legislators in the 60-member Nagaland assembly, that has no opposition.
The Naga People’s Front, the major partner of the Northeast Democratic Alliance, a group of non-Congress parties floated by the BJP, is contesting 15 assembly seats in Manipur. The party, which has a support base in the Naga-dominated areas, and had made its electoral debut in Manipur by winning four out of 12 seats it contested in the 2012 polls, has decided to go alone in the state, despite an alliance with the BJP in Nagaland.
If the NPF wins in Manipur, it will certainly dampen the prospects of the Congress, which was expecting to gain some seats in the hilly areas after creation of seven new districts. The creation of new districts by the ruling Congress government in the state led to economic blockade on two highways by the United Naga Council since 1 November last year.
A number of Congress leaders in the Naga-dominated areas have already switched their loyalty to BJP, boosting the party’s prospects in the upcoming election.
Why Neiphiu Rio Was Ignored as an Alternative?
Liezietsu, one of the founding members of the first regional party in Nagaland, has a political career spanning over four decades since he was first elected to the state assembly in 1969 from northern Angami-I under Kohima district. He is counted among decorated educationists and eminent scholars in the Angami literature (the native language of the Angami tribe).
An eight-time MLA, Liezietsu has experience of holding different portfolios, including education and planning, and will have to seek re-election within six months of taking charge as Nagaland’s 11th Chief Minister because he had refused to contest the last Assembly elections held in 2013, allowing his son Khriehu Liezietsu to contest the polls successfully. Khriehu, 51, might give up the Northern Angami-I so that his father is re-elected.
Neiphiu Rio, former Chief Minister and Nagaland’s sole Lok Sabha member, was said to be a front runner for the CM’s post. His camp had allegedly herded more than 40 MLAs to a couple of resorts in Kaziranga, but his name was not considered, citing a technical reason that he was ousted from the party a year ago when he had tried to topple Zeliang government in 2015.
The MLAs made their way back to Kohima only when it became clear that Zeliang was resigning in the “bigger interest of the state”. The Central leaders wanted former CM and Lok Sabha MP, Neiphiu Rio as the alternative candidate for Chief Minister, according to BJP sources.
NPF Hopeful of Improving its Tally
With the taking over of Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland, the NPF is confident of improving its tally in the Manipur elections and may play a crucial role in the formation of a new government in Manipur.
Dr Liezietsu, the President of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), had created history when he along with the then Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, had formally launched the NPF Manipur State Unit on 28 May 2011 at Senapati district in Manipur. It was considered a significant political move, as the arrival of Neiphiu Rio and Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu at Senapati was a diplomatic victory of the NPF over the then Congress-led Manipur Government. It also fulfilled the long cherished dream of the southern Nagas.
The Manipur state unit of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) has fielded 15 candidates for the hilly areas of the state which accounts for 20 of the 60 seats in the assembly. NPF President Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu, NPF Manipur State Unit in-charge and Nagaland Minister Yitachu and NPF Secretary General and Rajya Sabha MP KG Kenye were present during the ticket distribution-cum-oath taking ceremony.
Outgoing Nagaland CM’s “Supreme Sacrifice”
The outgoing Chief Minister T R Zeliang, has been elected chairman of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) – a coalition of the Naga People’s Front (NPF), BJP and Independents – which has been in power for the third consecutive term in the state, replacing the new CM Shurhozelie Liezietsu.
Zeliang had to resign from the post of Chief Minister after the anti-reservation violence in the state. In the wake of rioting, arson and large-scale intimidation of women candidates by male-dominated "civil society groups" and traditional institutions, it was alleged that the Zeliang government had walked away from upholding its position as a government of all the people of the state.
As DAN chairman, Zeliang will enjoy the status of a cabinet minister and will be in an equally important position in the ruling coalition as he was earlier as the Chief Minister. Zeliang’s name for the post of DAN’s chairman was proposed by the CM-elect Shurhozelie Liezietsu himself. The proposal was “unanimously” accepted by the legislators.
Even before taking the oath of office, CM-designate Shurhozelie had lauded outgoing Chief Minister Zeliang’s “supreme sacrifice” of vacating his chair “to save Naga people from going into further turmoil”, an official press release quoting him as saying.
He has done this with a big heart and I want everyone to recognise this sacrifice.Shurhozelie on outgoing CM, TR Zeliang
(The author is a news editor with the Asian News International. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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