Following his defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, NDPP candidate Dr Chumben Murry has been reappointed as Advisor to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio with the status of a cabinet minister on a tenure basis with immediate effect. This reappointment was formalized through a notification issued by Cabinet Secretary J Alam on June 12.
Dr Murry was first appointed as Advisor to the Chief Minister of Nagaland with cabinet minister status in March 2023, after announcing that he would not contest the Nagaland Assembly Election in February 2023, despite being the incumbent Member of the Legislative Assembly for the 38 Wokha Assembly Constituency. At the time, political commentators speculated that Dr Murry’s decision to opt out was motivated by ambitions to secure the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland.
Dr Chumben Murry, a seasoned politician, previously served as an MLA from the 38 Wokha Assembly Constituency and as an Advisor for the Law & Justice Department. He was elected in 2018 on an NPF ticket but later switched allegiance to the NDPP, successfully defeating YM Humtsoe, who contested on a JDU ticket then.