GUWAHATI: The BJP on Saturday announced that it had forged a fresh poll alliance with the newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) headed by former Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio for the ensuing Nagaland assembly election scheduled for February 27. In the process the saffron party has severed its 15-year old alliance with the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF).
“We have forged an alliance with the NDPP and already arrived at a seat-sharing agreement. Accordingly, the NDPP will field candidates in 40 seats and the BJP in the remaining 20 Assembly seats in the state. We are also confident of winning the election and forming the next government in Nagaland,” Kiren Rijiju, Union minister of state for home, who is also BJP’s in-charge for the Nagaland elections, said at a press conference here this evening.
Lok Sabha member from Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio who addressed the media jointly with Rijiju, said while the NPF always only had a post-election alliance with other parties, the present alliance was forged before the election.
“Unlike the earlier NPF-BJP alliances, this one is a well-worked out pre-poll alliance. The new alliance will sweep the elections with an absolute majority,” Rio, who quit the NPF to join the new party, three weeks ago, exuded confidence.
Union minister Rijiju, however, claimed that the BJP would continue with its friendship with NPF. “We had talks with them on seat sharing, but it did not materialise. While we have come to an agreement with NDPP, the NPF will continue to be our friend,” Rio said.
