Nagaland speaker quashes plea for disqualification of NPF MLAs

GUWAHATI: Nagaland speaker Sharingain Longkumer on Tuesday dismissed a 15-month-old plea by Naga People's Front (NPF), the principal opposition party in the state, seeking disqualification of its seven MLAs for going against the party's decision of supporting the Congress candidate during the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
NPF had said that their action amounted to "voluntarily giving up the membership of the party".
The speaker, while rejecting the NPF petitions, said, "It is established beyond any reasonable doubt that there is no sufficient ground for presuming that the respondents had voluntarily given up the membership of the original political party, i.e, the Naga People's Front."
Longkumer added that his decision is based on his findings and also takes into account judgments passed by the Supreme Court.
On April 24, 2019, NPF had filed a disqualification petition against its legislators EE Pangteang, Eshak Konyak, Kejong Chang, BS Nganglang, Toyang Chang, Thongwang Konyak and CL John for "wilfully defying the party's collective decision to support the Congress party in the last parliamentary election, 2019, to the lone Nagaland parliamentary constituency".
NPF had then argued that "openly going against the party's decision amounts to voluntarily giving up the membership of the party".
NPF had filed the disqualification petition after the seven MLAs had announced their support to the ruling party's (Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party) candidate Tokheho Yepthomi. NPF had then decided to back Congress candidate KL Chishi.
The judgement was pronounced in the open conference hall of the Nagaland legislative assembly in the presence of both the parties.
The Kohima bench of the Gauhati High Court, in the first week of June, had directed the speaker to conclude the disqualification proceedings against the seven NPF MLAs and pass appropriate orders within six weeks.