He was invited by Governor P B Acharya to form the next government
Guwahati: The octogenerian president of Naga People’s Front (NPF), Shurhozelie Liezietsu was chosen as the new chief minister of Nagaland on Monday in place of T R Zeliang who resigned on Sunday under intense pressure from agitating tribal organisations.
He was on Monday invited by Governor P B Acharya to form the next government after he emerged as the unanimous choice for the post and formally staked his claim.
Accompanied by the outgoing Chief Minister T R Zeliang, Liezietsu met the Governor at the Raj Bhavan where he staked claim to form the next government.
Earlier in the day, Liezietsu was chosen to replace Zeliang at a meeting of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) legislators 59 of whom attended, the Naga People’s Front (NPF) sources said.
81-year-old Liezietsu lauded Zeliang’s “supreme sacrifice” of vacating his chair to save Naga people from further turmoil. “He has done this with a big heart and I want all to recognize this sacrifice,” Liezitsu said in his address to DAN legislators after his unanimous election.
He called upon the MLAs to forgive each other, if there were differences among them, and move ahead together in the interest of the Naga society.
The tribal organisations have been demanding ouster of Zeliang for his government’s decision to hold Urban Local Bodies (ULB) polls with 33 % reservation for women. The election had to be called off because of the violent protests.
Outgoing Chief Minister Zeliang, while congratulating Liezietsu on his election as the leader of the DAN Legislature Party, expressed confidence that the state will benefit immensely from his experience and statesmanship. Zeliang narrated how attempts to destabilise his government had failed. The tribal bodies opposed the polls because of reservation of seats to women, which they deemed in violation of Naga customary laws.
The meeting of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) held in Kohima on Monday selected Naga People’s Front (NPF) president Shurhozelie Liezietsu as the next chief minister of Nagaland.
Shurhozelie who is not an MLA and belongs to Angami tribe, will now have to seek an election within six months. He was an MLA for eight consecutive terms, but did not contest election in 2013. The new chief minister is will be sworn in on February 22, according to an official source in Kohima.
The NPF is the major constituent of DAN with 48 legislators in the 60-member Nagaland assembly that has
no opposition. All other MLAs in the House including -eight independents and four of BJP- are in the ruling alliance.
Former chief minister and the lone Lok Sabha member from Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, was perceived to be the front runner for the CM’s post. Rio’s camp allegedly tried to woo over 40 MLAs of the ruling coalition by bringing all of them to a resort in Kaziranga in Assam on Friday night.
Rio too reached the resort on Saturday after coming from New Delhi.
Meanwhile, a spokesman of the Joint Coordination Committee, one of the tribal organisations demanding ouster of Zeliang as the CM, informed that the indefinit e Nagaland government bandh which was called since February 6 last, had been called off with immediate effect.
However, the agitating groups will persist with their demand for amendment to Nagaland Municipal Act so that the provisions do not infringe upon Naga customary laws as far as women reservation is concerned. They also continue to demand suspension of Dimapur police commissioner over the death of two persons in police action against protestors on January 28. (With inputs from PTI)