As the counting of votes in the Nagaland Assembly polls 2018 is going on, former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, the chief ministerial candidate of the NDPP-BJP alliance in Nagaland, on Saturday said he hopes that the NDPP-BJP alliance would get absolute majority.
As per the latest updates by the Election Commission of India, the Naga People’s Front (NPF) has won two seats and is leading in 20 seats, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is leading in 15 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading 6 seats, National People’s Party (NPP) is leading in 4 seats, the Janata Dal (United) is leading in 1 seat and others are leading in 2 seats in 50 constituencies of the 60-member Nagaland Assembly. Neiphiu Rio already won uncontested from Northern Angami II constituency.
Neiphiu Rio, the leader of the NDPP, which formed pre-poll alliance with the BJP in Nagaland, on Saturday reportedly said, “I hope the NDPP-BJP alliance alone will get absolute majority.”
On the other hand, Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang, who is also the chief ministerial candidate of the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF) and its allies on Saturday reportedly said that the “NPF is willing to govern in coalition with the BJP”. The NDTV reported Zeliang as saying that the alliance with BJP continues and he hopes the saffron party would join his government after the elections. He also reportedly said he has had discussions with Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Finance Minister and the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor, and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju about the coalition.