Kohima:The outgoing year was peaceful with negligible violence and ups and downs in the state politics, amidst search for early settlement of the Naga issue from all quarters, even discussions with the Prime Minister on the subject by politicians and civil bodies.
Former Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio decided to go for national politics and contested for the lone Lok Sabha seat of the state. Rio won the Lok Sabha seat in a straight fight with Congress by a margin of over 400,000 votes over the INC candidate and former Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee President K V Pusa.
After the election of Mr Rio, there was a division in the Naga Peoples Front party which divided into two groups as the senior NPF leader Noke Wangnao claimed that he was asked by Rio to take over as the new Chief Minister.
Then Planning and Coordination Minister TR Zeliang also made a counter claim to be the Chief Minister. He was elected as leader of the NPF legislature wing and sworn-in on May 24 as the Chief Minister. He also kept Noke in his Cabinet as the PHE Minister.
In another development in politics, the NPF-led DAN Government under Zeliang continued to remain in power despite rumours of a split within the leadership for a change of guard. In the month of June, three NCP MLAs, including state unit party president Imtilemba Parliamentary Secretary TM Lotha and Mmhonlumo Kikon had claimed to have merged with BJP.
However, their claim was rejected by Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker Chotisuh Sazo under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution leading to their disqualification from the 60-member House. The trio took the matter to the court and managed to get a stay against the Speaker’s decision. Eventually, the Kohima Bench and later the Principal Bench, Gauhati High Court set aside the order and the matter is still pending in the court. More
After Narendra Modi assuming power at the Centre, his Ministry wanted many Congress appointed Governors to be dropped and the then Nagaland Governor Dr Ashwani Kumar resigned as directed.
Dr KK Paul, the Governor of Meghalaya took temporary charge of Nagaland on July 2. On July 7, Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman, was named as Governor of Nagaland, but he did not take up the assignment. He resigned without taking over on July 11 and leaving the state without a regular Governor. Ultimately vete-ran BJP worker Padmanabha Balkrishna Acharya was named Governor-designate for Nagaland and on July 14 and sworn-in on July 19.(UNI)