Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale’s Republican Party of India (Athawale) is a Maharashtra-based political party and has won two seats in Nagaland out of eight seats it contested in the just concluded assembly election.
Athawale stated that the two MLAs – Imtichoba of Tuensand Sadar – II and Y Lima Onen Chang of Noksen village will back the BJP-led NDPP coalition.
Meanwhile, another Maharashra-based party, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party has become the largest Opposition party in Nagaland and is set to get the leader of Opposition post in the House.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said on Thursday that by winning seven of the 12 Assembly seats it ran for, it had “established a strong foothold” in Nagaland.
“History was scripted in Nagaland on Thursday… Party is dedicating this victory to the people of Nagaland,” it said in a statement.
Narendra Verma, the NCP general secretary for the Northeast said the success was a result of their hard work in northeast India over the past 10 years.
“I had travelled across Nagaland for the past four months and especially concentrated on the state’s eastern parts. The people of Nagaland have entrusted us with their votes and we will be holding a meeting of our legislative party within two days to decide on the leader of the Opposition,” Verma told Indian Express.