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Kohima, Oct 18 (IANS) The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which dominates the ruling People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA), on Saturday officially resolved to merge with the Naga People’s Front (NPF).
BJP with 12 MLAs and NPF with two MLAs are also constituents of the PDA. A senior NDPP leader said that during the sixth general conference of the party, it was unanimously decided that the NDPP would merge with the NPF.
The important general conference held at the Capital Cultural Hall in Kohima was attended by NDPP President Chingwang Konyak, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang, several ministers and MLAs and leaders and workers from across the state.
The unification will officially take place at the NPF General Convention on October 21, which also marks the party’s 63rd Foundation Day celebrations. Here all the NDPP leaders held extensive discussions on the proposal of unification of the two Naga parties under the banner of NPF, one of the oldest regional parties of India.
NPF is a regional political party which has a solid organizational base in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh apart from Nagaland.
The NPF has 5 MLAs in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, and was the junior partner of the BJP in the state. The NDPP leader said that after detailed discussion, the resolution was unanimously adopted in the day-long general conference in accordance with the NDPP constitution.
“All NDPP leaders welcomed and accepted the NPF’s proposal to form a regional political party in the larger interest of the Naga issue and the Naga community,” the leader said.
Describing the NPF’s move as “mature and well-intentioned”, NDPP leaders expressed confidence that the merger will create a strong and unified regional force to represent the voice and aspirations of the Naga people.
Recognizing the leadership of both Konyak and Chief Minister Rio, the resolution credited their “absolute dynamism and political presence” for taking the party to its current position.
Ahead of Saturday’s convention, senior leaders of both the NDPP and NPF held several meetings and consultations to finalize the transition process and select the new team of leaders.
The NDPP broke away from the NPF and was formed by CM Rio after he was suspended from the party in 2017.
Rio is expected to lead the joint NPF, sources said. Rio and Konyak described the unification proposal as a “historic step” to promote regional unity and strengthen the Naga cause.
–IANS
SC/And