New Delhi [India], September 14 (ANI): BJP national president JP Nadda will be on a two-day visit to Nagaland ahead of next year's Assembly election.

Kohima (Nagaland) [India], April 30 (ANI): Ahead of the assembly election due next year, 21 out of 25 MLAs of the Naga People's Front (NPF) have joined Chief Minster Neiphiu Rio-led Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in Nagaland.

Kohima Mar 31 PTI Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and political parties of Nagaland on Thursday welcomed the Centres decision to reduce the number of disturbed areas under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act AFSPA in the North-eastern state after decadesBut some quarters expressed dissatisfaction saying the long-standing demand of the people was abolition of the Act itself which was not doneThe Ministry of Home Affairs announced in New Delhi that the AFSPA will be withdrawn from 15 police station areas in seven districts of Nagaland with effect from April 1 The controversial Act is withdrawn from large parts of Assam and Manipur tooThe disturbed area notification is in force in entire Nagaland since 1995The killing of 14 civilians by army personnel in December last year rose tension in Nagaland where people protested for weeks for the withdrawal of the AFSPAGrateful to GoI under the leadership of PMOIndia Shri narendramodi ji AmitShah ji for reducing disturbed areas under AFSPA in the states of Nagaland Assam Manipur This is a significant development towards bringing stability security prosperity to the North East region Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio tweetedWelcoming the Centres move Naga Hoho general secretary K Elu Ndang said Our demand is complete revocation of AFSPA from all Naga inhabited areas in particular and the North East region in general Naga Hoho is the apex organisation of Nagas in four NE States - Arunachal Pradesh Assam Manipur and NagalandNagaland Minister for Planning and Coordination Land Revenue and Parliamentary Affairs Neiba Kronu said the disturbed area tag will be removed only from a portion of the state while it will remain in the remaining areas The Naga Peoples Front NPF secretary general Achumbemo Kikon said We welcome the step taken by the Government of India to withdraw AFSPA from Nagaland Assam and Manipur The withdrawal of AFSPA was one of the primary focuses of the NPF during the recently concluded Manipur election he said adding that the party is elated as the government move has fulfilled its election manifesto to some extentClaiming that the Act has acted only against democracy Kikon urged the Centre to consider repealing the legislation State Congress working president Khriedi Theunuo said he hoped that the government would slowly inch towards withdrawing the Act from the entire state Naga Mothers Association NMA advisor Rosemary Dzuvichu termed the decision very unfair as the demand has been to repeal the Act which violates every kind of human rights Such small favours are unacceptable Dzuvichu saidThe NMA is a prominent civil society organisation of the state This is a very significant step towards achieving peace in the region The decisive leadership displayed by the Honourable PM narendramodi ji is highly appreciated BJP spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon said PTI NBS NN NN

Kohima Mar 21 PTI BJPs S Phangnon Konyak is all set to become the first woman Rajya Sabha member from Nagaland as no other candidate filed nomination for the March 31 election to the lone seat from the state on Monday which was the last dayKonyak the consensus candidate of the ruling United Democratic Alliance UDA will also be the first BJP member from Nagaland to be sent to Parliament Naga Peoples Front NPF which had expressed strong determination to field a candidate despite being a part of the UDA -- which runs an opposition-less government in the state backed out at the last momentIn the 60-member assembly NDPP has 21 MLAs NPF 25 BJP 12 and there are two Independent MLAs all of whom joined hands in September 2021 to form UDA for facilitating an early solution to the vexed Naga political dialogueOn Saturday NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu had written to its legislature party to consider nominating its working president and former home minister Thenucho Tunyi for the electionHowever the working committee and the legislative wing of the NPF failed to come to a conclusion till Sunday party sources saidOn the letter by Liezietsu NPFs legislature party secretary Chumben Murry said The UDA government was formed on the understanding of pursuing Naga political issue for a negotiated solution at the earliest Consequent upon which one of the NPF MLA was inducted in the Cabinet along with chairman UDAUnder the given situation the NPF cannot file nomination to the Rajya Sabha election which will tantamount to withdrawal from the coalition government of UDA As NPF refrained from filing nomination Konyak -- the BJP womens wings state president -- was the only candidate to have filed nomination thus securing her seat without a contestShe will also be the second Naga woman parliamentarianSince statehood in 1963 Nagaland got only one woman parliamentarian Rano M Shaiza who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977 The state never had a woman MLAThe tenure of the incumbent Rajya Sabha member from Nagaland KG Kenye of NPF ends on April 2Speaking to reporters an elated Konyak expressed gratitude to the BJP for nominating her BJP is a party which believes in women empowerment and there is a lot of hope in the party she saidAsked about her priorities as the first woman Rajya Sabha member from the state she said she would decide on it after deliberating with the elected representatives of the stateWomen comprise 50 percent of the electorate While Naga women have been very actively involved in politics but were not forthcoming to contest the elections she said urging them to come forward to fight electionsBJP Nagaland president Temjen Imna Along said that his party got the Rajya Sabha seat as part of an agreement with NDPP ahead of the 2018 assembly electionsWe look forward to working more for women empowerment in the days to come said Along adding that there were nine ticket hopefuls but only the woman candidate was selected by the partys central leadership PTI NBS SOM SOM

Kohima (Nagaland) [India], March 20 (ANI): In a clear sign of fissure in the ruling alliance, Nagaland People's Front (NPF) has decided to throw its hat in the Rajya Sabha biennial election from the state even while the BJP has already announced nomination of S Phangnon Konyak for the lone seat.

Kohima Mar 9 PTI Nagaland is likely to get a woman Rajya Sabha MP for the first time as a coalition of the NDPP and the BJP having 35 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly nominated the saffron partys Mahila Morcha president S Phangnon Konyak as the candidate for the election to the states lone seat to the Upper House of Parliament The Naga Peoples Front with 25 members held a meeting on Saturday to decide whether to support Konyak or field its own candidate but it remained inconclusive NPF secretary general and spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon told PTI The party will hold another round of meeting on Sunday However even if the NPF fields its candidate the NDPP-BJP combine has more MLAs and its nominee is likely to win Konyak is yet to file her nomination Since Nagaland got statehood in 1963 it had got only one woman Parliamentarian Rano M Shaiza who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977 as an Independent Candidate The state Assembly has never had a woman MLA A candidate has to file nomination papers by 3 pm on Monday Returning Officer for the election Khruohituonuo Rio said The Rajya Sabha poll will be held on March 31 and votes will be counted on the same day The tenure of the incumbent member from Nagaland to the Upper House K G Kenye ends on April 2 MLAs in the 60-member assembly will participate in the Rajya Sabha election as members of the Upper House of Parliament are elected by legislators in state assemblies It is an election through proportional representation The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party NDPP and the BJP had fought the 2018 state election together and won 21 and 12 seats respectively They formed the government and got the support of two Independent MLAs The NPF joined the ruling dispensation in September last year and formed the United Democratic Alliance UDA an opposition-less government in the state Chief Minister and NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio said the choice of a woman candidate of the BJP was purely on the party line We have an alliance and the NDPP respects its alliance partner he told reporters PTI NBS NN NN

Imphal (Manipur) [India], March 10 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a majority in Manipur Assembly elections reducing other parties to single digits and will now form the government in the state for the second consecutive term.

Lamphelpat (Manipur) [India], February 27 (ANI): As many as 38 constituencies spread across five districts including Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi will go to polls in the first phase of Manipur Assembly elections on Monday.

Imphal Jan 31 PTI The regional Naga Peoples Front NPF which won four seats in the Manipur assembly elections in 2017 on Monday said it would contest in 10 constituencies this timeThe Shiv Sena also released its first list of six candidates for the election to the 60-member assemblyIn a statement the NPF said its nominees will fight in 10 constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Tribe categoryManipur has 20 ST constituencies and all are located in the hills Majority of the Naga population in the state also live in hill areasThe NPF which had ruled the neighbouring Nagaland for several years renominated the four MLAs who won in the last electionsThey included D Korungthang who had won the 2017 polls on a Congress ticket but joined the NPF in early January this yearFormer minister Francis Ngajokpa and ex-MLA K Pammei would be contesting from Tadubi and Tamenglong constituenciesRetired IAS officer Ram Muivah is another contestant of the NPF the statement saidIt said There is a necessity for regional political parties to come together in order to effectively address the issues confronting our people Meanwhile Shiv Sena will be contesting the Manipur assembly elections for the first time and most of its candidates named in the first list are greenhorns The Shiv Senas state president M Tombi Singh told PTI that the will announce its other candidates very soonAssembly polls will be held in the state in two phases on February 27 and March 3 PTI COR NN NN

Imphal Jan 27 PTI The BJP has signed an agreement of cooperation with several party members who might be fielded in the upcoming Manipur assembly elections in a bid to prevent switching of allegiance before the pollsThe members include those who could be nominated in Keisamthong assembly constituency in Imphal West district and Sugnu in Kakching district sources saidThe party has signed an agreement of cooperation with many probable candidates in the presence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh so that they dont switch sides amid the developing political scenario BJPs chief spokesperson in the state Ch Bijoy told PTIThe saffron party has been conducting sensitisation meetings to ensure bonhomie and cooperation among members who are likely to be fielded in the pollsThe elections for Manipurs 60-member assembly will be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3 while counting of votes will take place on March 10The BJP which has witnessed an exodus in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh with three ministers recently quitting the party is yet to announce its list of candidates for the Manipur assembly electionsIt had formed government in Manipur in 2017 despite bagging just 21 seats compared to Congress 28 by joining hands with two local parties - NPP and NPF Later BJPs own strength increased to 30 after some MLAs defected from Congress and other parties PTI CORR RBT RBT