Ajit Karn
Neiphiu Rio, a political stalwart and the leader of the NDPP in Nagaland, is set to assume office as chief minister for a fifth term following a decisive victory for his party and its ally, the BJP.
In the Northern Angami II constituency, Neiphiu Rio defeated Seyievelie Sachu of the Congress in the Nagaland Elections of 2023.
Together, the two parties have won 35 of the 60 seats in the Nagaland Assembly.
With this victory, the septuagenarian leader has surpassed the record of veteran leader S C Jamir, who led the northeastern state three times.
Neiphiu Rio personally defeated the political novice Seyievelie Sachu of the Congress in the Northern Angami II constituency, thereby contributing to the demise of the once-dominant grand old party in the state.
Born to an Angami Naga family on 11 November 1950, he received his early education at Kohima’s Baptist English School before attending West Bengal’s Sainik School, Purulia. Later, he attended St. Joseph’s College in Darjeeling before returning to Kohima Arts College to complete his degree.
Rio, who was an active student leader in high school and college, entered politics at a very early age. In 1974, he began his nearly five-decade-long political career as president of the United Democratic Front’s youth wing in the Kohima district and later became its Nagaland president.
Rio has only lost one of the eight state elections he has contested, which occurred in 1987. He had contested the election as an independent candidate at the time.
His political career took a turn for the better after his second attempt in 1989, just two years after he joined Congress.
After that initial victory, he never looked back, and Rio went on to win the subsequent elections. He served his state in numerous capacities, including as Jamir’s interior minister until 2002.
However, he quit Congress that year and was instrumental in reviving the cock symbol of Naga People’s Front (NPF).
In 2003, Rio successfully deposed Jamir and became the chief minister for the first time. January 2008 saw the imposition of President’s Rule in the state, which resulted in his dismissal as chief minister.
Rio was invited to form the government as the leader of the NPF-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland following his party’s victory in the subsequent election two months later.
Rio was re-elected as chief minister for a third term following the 2013 state election where NPF won a resounding majority.
He held the position until 2014, when he decided to resign and run for the national legislature. He used to explain to reporters that his desire to enter national politics stemmed from a “need” to be the voice of his people and press the Centre for a swift conclusion to the Naga peace talks.
On February 9, 2018, he resigned from the Lok Sabha and returned to state politics.
Rio joined the newly formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in response to the escalating tensions within his then-home party, the NPF (NDPP).
He was selected as the leader of the NDPP and was able to break the alliance between the NPF and BJP at the time. Rio, a master strategist, then contested the 2018 state general elections with the saffron party via a pre-election agreement.
The alliance won 30 seats – 18 by the regional party and 12 by the saffron party – and formed the government with the support of 2 NPP MLAs, one from JD(U), and an Independent MLA, putting an end to the 15-year rule of NPF in the state.
H A Hongnao Konyak, vice-president of the Konyak Union (KU), attributed Rio’s sustained electoral success to his ability to forge alliances.
“He is aware that his party may not be able to complete the journey on their own. Consequently, he forms carefully considered alliances.
“Even this time, he maintained the alliance with the ruling party at the centre and forced them to cede the majority of seats to his NDPP,” Konyak told PTI.
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The NDPP-BJP pre-election alliance has again contested the Nagaland election on the same 40:20 seat-sharing basis as in 2018, with the expectation that Rio will lead the new government.
