JD-U dissolves Nagaland unit after MLA, state unit chief back Neiphiu Rio govt

Nagaland JD-U president Senchumo Lotha and his party’s lone MLA Zwenga Seb pledged support to Neiphiu Rio who took over as chief minister for the fifth time on Tuesday

PATNA: The Janata Dal (U) central party committee on Wednesday dissolved the party’s Nagaland unit after its legislator and state unit chief pledged support to the coalition government led by Neiphiu Rio.

Janata Dal (United) president Lalan Singh accused the BJP of luring its MLA in Nagaland (ANI)

“The Nagaland state president of our party has given a letter of support to the Chief Minister of Nagaland without consulting the central leadership of JD-U which is high indiscipline and an arbitrary step. That’s why JD-U has dissolved the state committee of the party in Nagaland with immediate effect,” a statement by JD-U’s in-charge of Northeast affairs and national general secretary Afaq Ahmed Khan said.

Nagaland JD-U president Senchumo Lotha and his party’s lone MLA Zwenga Seb met the state chief minister Neiphiu Rio on March 8. After this meeting, he handed over his letter of support to the NDPP-BJP coalition government.

Seb won the Tse Minyu seat in the recently concluded state elections, defeating his nearest rival RPI (Athawale) candidate Loguseng Semp by 2,563 votes.

“We came to know about the letter of support by the lone JD-U MLA on Wednesday and it was done without our consent and prior information. This is highly objectionable and tantamount to high discipline. We decided to dissolve the state unit immediately and will soon constitute a new committee,” said

The JD (U) president also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing the party of luring its lawmakers. “They earlier did the same thing in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur as well. The Nagaland MLA handed over the letter of support when the party decided not to have any alliance with the BJP,” he added.

Of the three Bihar-based parties, the JD (U), the RJD and the LJP (R) which contested the Nagaland assembly elections, the Chirag Paswan-led LJP (R) performed well and won 2 out of the 16 seats that it contested. The JD (U), which had hoped to qualify for a national party status on the back of its performance in the North-East, could win only one out of seven seats it contested.

The JD (U) had been contesting Nagaland polls since 2003 when it fielded candidates on 13 of the 60 seats and won three, with a vote share of 5.8%. In 2008, it contested three seats and lost all; in 2013, it contested three seats and won one. In the last polls in 2018, it fielded candidates for 14 seats and won one seat, with a total vote share of 5.49%. This year, it contested seven seats and won one seat with a vote share of 3.3%.