Kohima, September 9: The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland will decide on its merger with the Naga People’s Front (NPF) at a crucial Central Executive Board meeting scheduled for September 12.
According to party insiders, NDPP leaders and members of its frontal organisations have already received a preliminary informal briefing from the top leadership ahead of the meeting. The closed-door session is expected to deliberate formally on the merger proposal, which could significantly reshape Nagaland’s political landscape.
The development comes after the NPF’s Central Executive Council passed a resolution last week urging Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio to return to the party fold, hailing his leadership as vital for both the organisation’s revival and the broader interests of the Naga people.
Formed in 2017, the NDPP rose to power in the 2018 Assembly elections, ousting the TR Zeliang-led NPF government. In its debut election, NDPP secured 18 seats, while its ally BJP won 12, enabling the alliance to form the government with additional support from a JD(U) legislator and an Independent MLA.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, NDPP consolidated its position, emerging as the single largest party with 25 seats. The later induction of seven NCP MLAs boosted its tally to 32 in the 60-member House, while the BJP retained its 12 seats. The ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) currently commands majority support with backing from 16 other MLAs, including five of the NPP, two each from NPF and LJP (Ram Vilas), one JD(U), and four Independents.
Chief Minister Rio, a veteran of Nagaland politics, first rose to prominence in 2002 when he resigned as home minister in the SC Jamir-led Congress government and revived the regional Naga People’s Council, later rechristened the Naga People’s Front. Under his leadership, the NPF ruled Nagaland for three consecutive terms before Rio moved to Delhi as Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha MP in 2014.
In 2018, Rio returned to state politics by joining the NDPP after the NPF broke ties with the BJP over seat-sharing disputes. His entry consolidated the NDPP-BJP alliance, which has since become the dominant political force in the state.
