DIMAPUR: Five National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs have merged with the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF), taking the regional party’s strength to 39 in Nagaland’s 60-member Assembly.
The merger was formally approved by the Assembly Speaker through a notification issued on October 1 under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and the Members of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 2019.
The MLAs 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 leaders. The legislators later appeared before the Speaker and submitted the required merger documents.
According to the NPF, the five MLAs said they had joined the party voluntarily and expressed confidence in Rio’s leadership while accepting its ideology and policies. Rio welcomed their decision, saying it would further strengthen the party.
The latest development follows the merger of 31 NDPP MLAs with the NPF in October 2025 and the merger of the Rising People’s Party with the NPF in July 2026. The NPF now has 39 MLAs, while its alliance partner, the BJP, has 12 members in the Assembly.
