Newmai News Network
Kohima | February 28
Dictums such as ‘Naga solution, Naga integration, expedite Naga peace process, Naga cause’ have played wonders for Neiphiu Rio and his Naga People’s Front (NPF). The hat trick seal for the NPF, after results to the 12th assembly elections in Nagaland have been unveiled, speak volumes.
Seen as a Naga hardliner by outsiders, Neiphiu Rio and the NPF have become synonymous with the Naga political issue ever since the party came to power in 2003 after unseating Congress stalwart S.C Jamir and his government. The rocketing graph of the NPF shows the Naga public stands for the Naga cause; they find political solace in Neiphiu Rio and the NPF.
In the 2003 assembly elections, the NPF won 19 seats but managed to form the government with the help of an alliance, termed the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN). In the 2008, the NPF won 26 seats and, again, formed a government with an alliance. Finally, in 2013, results were more than impressive as the party managed to win 38 seats in the 60-member house of Nagaland legislative assembly. The NPF, known popularly by locals as the ‘Cock Party’ (its symbol is Cock), crows louder than ever today.
