Naga People's Front joins PDA government, paving way for NDPP merger

In a significant political development, the Naga People's Front (NPF) officially joined the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, marking a long-anticipated realignment between the NPF and the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

NPF Secretary General Achumbemo Kikon told PTI that the party’s two MLAs had previously been extending outside support to the PDA, a coalition formed by the NDPP and the BJP ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. “The president of the NPF hereby promulgates this ordinance to the effect that the NPF shall officially join the People’s Democratic Alliance Government under the leadership of Dr Neiphiu Rio,” Kikon said in a statement.

The move comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the proposed merger of the NDPP and NPF into a single entity. Chief Minister Rio, accompanied by Parliamentary Affairs and Power Minister KG Kenye, paid a courtesy visit to veteran regional leader Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu, former NPF president and ex-chief minister. Rio described the visit as a gesture of respect and reconciliation, expressing gratitude for Liezietsu’s guidance.

Rio, who revived the NPF after resigning as home minister from the SC Jamir-led Congress government in 2002, served as chief minister from 2003. He later parted ways with the NPF in 2017 during Liezietsu’s tenure to form the NDPP, which went on to end the NPF’s three consecutive terms in power by winning the 2018 state elections in alliance with the BJP.

The NDPP, which holds 32 seats in the 60-member House, plans to formalise the merger with the NPF—whose two MLAs are now part of the PDA—through upcoming conventions in Kohima. The NDPP convention is scheduled for October 18, followed by the NPF convention on October 21, coinciding with the party’s 63rd foundation day. The NPF convention will also serve as the official merger, uniting the two parties under a single banner.

Kikon emphasized that the merger is about more than political arithmetic. “What is important is that regional parties come together to show solidarity, advance the common aspiration of the Naga people, and strengthen the state’s regional political landscape,” he said.

The development signals a major consolidation in Nagaland’s political landscape, reinforcing regional unity and setting the stage for the NDPP-NPF alliance to shape the state’s future governance.