Nagaland Assembly Elections: Another all-party government in the offing?

Credit: DH Graphic

Nagaland has been the only state in the country to have an “all-party government” since September 2021. The state may continue to have a similar government even after the assembly elections this month with leaders of all parties being "committed" to stay united in the interest of a solution to the decades-old conflict over the political rights of the Nagas.

The BJP and its regional ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) had won the assembly elections in 2018. But the opposition Naga People's Front (NPF), which had won 25 seats in the 60-member-House, joined the government led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio after three years in order to press the Centre for signing the final agreement to end the Naga conflicts.

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The NDPP and the BJP are contesting the polls with a 40-20 seat sharing arrangement. Though the NPF is likely to contest against the NDPP-BJP alliance in more than 40 seats, it has made it clear that it would not hesitate to join the government again in the interest of the final solution.

Talks saga:

The talks between the Centre and the insurgent group NSCN(IM) to find a final solution to the Naga conflicts has been underway since 1997. The NSCN(IM) has been in ceasefire since then. The Centre had signed a "Framework Agreement" with the NSCN(IM) in August 2015, based on which a final agreement was to be signed. Another preliminary agreement was also signed with Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs), a forum of six other insurgent groups in 2017. The final agreement, however, has still remained elusive, mainly due to NSCN(IM)'s insistence on its "core demands" for a separate flag and a separate Constitution for the Nagas. The Centre has several times rejected the demand and instead offered to allow them the flag only for the cultural events. The NSCN(IM) rejected the offer.

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The all-party government of Nagaland too appealed to both the Centre and the Naga groups to find a "honourable solution" in order to establish permanent peace in the state.

Separate state

The demand for a separate state, comprising six districts in eastern Nagaland intensified ahead of the assembly polls. The influential Eastern Naga People's Organisation (ENPO) even asked all leaders including 20 MLAs from eastern Nagaland to resign and not to take part in the elections to press for their demand. The 20 MLAs, from all parties, however, decided to defy the ENPO's diktat and file nominations to contest the polls.

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The BJP in 2018 had won 12 seats and this time the party is hoping to win more seats with a claim that Nagaland has seen much development during the Narendra Modi-led government's tenure at the Centre. The party, however, is likely to face a lot of questions over the delay in finding a solution to the Naga conflict. The Congress is experiencing an existential crisis in Nagaland.