Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 13
Former Chief Minister and incumbent legislator, TR Zeliang predicted a two-third majority win for the NDPP-BJP alliance during the kickoff of his election campaign in Jalukie town on February 13. Zeliang, who won on the NPF ticket in 2018 from the 7 Peren Assembly Constituency only to shift loyalty to the NDPP, said that the NDPP will win 30-plus seats and the BJP will win 10-plus giving a combined total of 50-plus to comfortably form the next government.
“NDPP is expecting 30-plus and BJP 10-plus. With that we can easily form next government without the need for small parties and independents unlike in 2018,” Zeliang said at the campaign rally. In 2018, parties like the JD (U), NPP and Independents became important to government formation because neither the NDPP-BJP (18+12 seats) alliance nor the NPF (26 seats), was able to score simple majority, he said.
Justifying his leaving the NPF, he said that joining forces with Neiphiu Rio were based on two fundamental goals— political and governance. According to him, the first was based on pursuing a solution to the Naga political problem and the other was for providing a strong and stable government in the event there is delay in arriving at a solution as anticipated. Besides, he said that the odds of the NPF winning the elections were low.
Despite winning in 2018, he said that he had to sit in the opposition bench, which was disadvantageous to the 7 Peren constituency, as far as development was concerned. While stating that he was confident of winning again because he has the backing of Iherie Ndang, his former electoral foe, he said, “Why did we join hands? Our alliance is for the good of the constituency and Peren district as a whole. The target is to sit in the ruling bench and not merely as an MLA.” According to him, he can implement his development vision for the constituency only when he becomes part of a ruling regime.
He further said that the NDPP made the seat-sharing deal with the BJP on the understanding that it would be to Nagaland’s benefit to ally with the ruling party at the Centre. “The seat sharing is for the benefit of the Nagas because Nagaland state is dependent on the Centre, where the BJP is in power. Today, in this constituency, we have to vote keeping this equation in mind,” he said.
Meanwhile, Iherie Ndang, said that he gave way to Zeliang to contest keeping in mind the greater interest of Peren district. Jalukie, he said, also deserves to become district. According him, areas smaller in area and population than Jalukie have become districts, which gives ample grounds to Jalukie for claiming district status.
