BJP submits letter to Nagaland governor backing Neiphiu Rio as next CM

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday indicated its resolve to form the government in Nagaland by writing a letter to the governor backing ally NDPP's Neiphiu Rio as the next chief minister + .

"BJP submitted letter of support from 12 MLAs to Governor supporting NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio as chief ministerial candidate of Nagaland," Union Minister J P Nadda told reporters.



The BJP-NDPP combine and the Naga People's Front (NPF) have staked claim to form the government + after the recently concluded assembly polls gave no clear majority to any of the contesting parties.

The BJP bagged 12 seats, while its ally NDPP won 17 seats in the 60-member Assembly. It is also supported by the lone JD(U) MLA and an Independent legislator.

Constitutional crisis is looming large over the northeastern state after outgoing chief minister T R Zeliang of the NPF refused to quit office and asserted that his party will form the government again.

The NPF on Monday said it had submitted pre-poll alliance letters with National People's Party (NPP) and JD(U) as its allies to the governor

Rio and Zeliang had met Governor P B Acharya on Sunday and claimed to have the support of majority of MLAs. Acharya had given both leaders a 48-hour deadline to submit the signatures of the MLAs supporting them.

Earlier, BJP minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ruled out an alliance with the NPF, and said the saffron party stood by its pre-poll tie-up with the NDPP headed by Rio.

"I can officially say that we have no truck with the NPF and there is no question of going back to the NPF in forming the government. We will go with the NDPP," Sarma said.

He also advised CM Zeliang to "resign gracefully respecting democratic norms, as the Constitution has many other provisions".

On the other hand, NPF spokesperson Achumbemo Kikon said Zeliang was in close touch with the BJP high command as the party wanted to continue the alliance "in the interest of the peace process."

(With PTI inputs)