Nagaland: Five NPP MLAs join NPF, ruling party’s strength rises to 39

Five National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs in Nagaland have merged with the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF), strengthening the regional party’s position in the 60-member Assembly.

The Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker formally approved the merger through a notification issued on October 1. The merger was carried out under the provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and the Members of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 2019.

The five NPP legislators who joined the NPF are A. Nyamnyei Konyak of Moka, Nuklutoshi of Arkakong, C. Kipili Sangtam of Seyochung-Sitimi, Dr Tseilhoutuo Rhutso of Kohima Town and Benei M. Lamthiu of Thonoknyu.

The merger took place in Dimapur in the presence of Chief Minister and NPF president Neiphiu Rio, NPF adviser and secretary general Achumbemo Kikon and other senior party leaders. The legislators later appeared before the Assembly Speaker and submitted the documents related to the merger.

According to the NPF, the five MLAs said they had joined the party voluntarily and expressed their faith in Rio’s leadership while accepting the party’s ideology and policies.

Welcoming them into the NPF, Rio said their decision was a welcome step and would further strengthen the regional party.

The latest merger follows a series of political realignments involving the NPF. In October 2025, 31 MLAs of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) merged with the NPF, with the Assembly formally recognising the merger from October 18, 2025.

The Rising People’s Party (RPP) also merged with the NPF in July 2026, adding to the party’s consolidation in the state.

With the five NPP MLAs joining, the NPF’s strength has risen to 39 in the 60-member Assembly, while its alliance partner, the BJP, has 12 MLAs. The latest merger comes ahead of the 2028 Nagaland Assembly elections and further reshapes the state’s regional political landscape.