Kohima, February 8 (MTNews): In a major political development in Nagaland, leader of the Naga People’s Front (NPF) Legislature Party and former chief minister of Nagaland, TR Zeliang, was appointed as the Chairman of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) today, in a joint meeting of the NDPP, BJP, NPF and Independent legislators, held at the chief minister’s residential complex. The opposition-less all-party UDA government, including the independent legislator, was founded on September 18 last year. As an outcome of the UDA meeting today, the chief minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, will also be campaigning for NPF Manipur in the forthcoming assembly election in that state, which is scheduled to be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3.
It was also learnt that the NPF will be given a ministerial berth in the UDA government against a vacancy left after the demise of CM Chang in 2020, who was holding the Forest, Environment and Climate Change portfolio. The swearing in ceremony of the new cabinet minister is scheduled for Wednesday, to be held at Dr. Imkongliba Ao Hall, Raj Bhavan, Kohima. It was not immediately known who would be the NPF legislator to be given the berth, though speculations were rife that the berth would go to a legislator from Eastern Nagaland. Later in the late evening, reliable sources privy to the latest development in Kohima told Mokokchung Times that NPF legislator YM Yollow, MLA from 42 Wakching Assembly Constituency in Mon, is set to be inducted into the Neiphiu Rio government.