The ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF) and the BJP have agreed to work out modalities for seat sharing for the upcoming Nagaland Assembly election, Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang said on Friday.
“We agreed to select the teams from the respective party to work out the modalities for seat sharing,” he said after his meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
“We agreed to continue the NPF-BJP alliance for growth and development,” added Zeliang who is heading the combined NPF-BJP government.
Elections to the 60-member Nagaland Assembly will be held on February 27 and the counting of votes will be on March 3.
Describing the meeting with Shah as a healthy deliberation, the NPF leader said: “Our bond and relationship will grow stronger and better in the coming days. This will result in a progressive and much developed Nagaland state.”
“…the alliance of NPF-BJP, along with the other DAN partners, will sweep the upcoming polls,” Zeliang said.
On Tuesday, the Central Executive Council (CEC) of the NPF reviewed its earlier decision and decided to resume its ties with the BJP and also go to the assembly polls with T.R. Zeliang as its Chief Ministerial candidate.
Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha member and three-time Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio resigned from the primary membership of the NPF after it decided to sever ties with the BJP ahead of the assembly elections.
Rio joined the newly-floated Nagaland Democratic People’s Party.
“We will again form the next government, a very stable government, and the instability which rocked the 12th NLA will be a thing of the past. Development and progress of the state and solution to the Naga Political Issue (insurgency) will be our top priority,” Zeliang said.