Ajay Kumar Bhalla sworn in as Nagaland governor, tribal panel continues boycott

Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Governor of Manipur, was on August 25 sworn in as the 22nd Governor of Nagaland at Raj Bhavan, following the death of Governor La Ganesan.

Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, Justice Ashutosh Kumar, administered the oath of office. The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Ministers TR Zeliang and Y Patton, ministers, MLAs, senior officials, and dignitaries.

After the swearing-in, Bhalla held his first meeting with the state cabinet at Raj Bhavan and inspected a ceremonial guard of honour. A reception followed, where political leaders, church representatives, tribal bodies, and civil society groups extended greetings to the new governor.

Notably absent were members of the Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CORRP), representing the Ao, Angami, Lotha, Rengma, and Sumi tribes. The panel has been pressing for changes to the state’s four-decade-old job reservation system.

Although the government recently announced a Reservation Review Commission, the committee rejected it, demanding the inclusion of tribal and civil society representatives.