In jolt to Nitish, Nagaland JDU leaders resign en mass, join Chirag faction

At least 27 top office bearers of Janata Dal United’s Nagaland unit resigned from their party positions in a letter on Friday, February 3.

| Updated: 04 February, 2023 6:09 pm IST
Nearly 30 top leader of Nagaland JDU have joined Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Nagaland, Bihar MP Chirag Paswan deal a major blow to his arch-rival Nitish Kumar by inducting top state leadership of JDU into his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).

At least 27 top office bearers of Janata Dal United’s Nagaland unit resigned from their party positions in a letter on Friday, February 3.

As many as 28 state JDU leaders joined the LJP under the leadership of the party’s general secretary Kitoho S Rotokha, who was fielded by Nitish Kumar’s party in the upcoming Nagaland Assembly elections.

Rotokha was made the JDU candidate from the Ghaspani-2 Assembly constituency.

State JDU secretaries Obed Yeptho, Tingsangai John Pamei, and Holuvi Awomi, and the party’s Kohima district president Seyiekhrielie Nagi are among the prominent leaders who joined Chirag Paswan’s party in Kohima on Friday evening.

The jolt comes amid Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s efforts to make the JDU a recognised national party by securing Assembly seats and more vote share outside Bihar.

In the 2018 Assembly elections, the JDU secured a 4.5 per cent vote share and one seat. Party leaders are now eyeing an 8 per cent vote share in the ensuing elections to get the status of a national party.

In 2019, its lone state MLA G Kaito Aye joined the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) in the presence of Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio.

JDU has already been recognised as a state party in Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur. If it gets an 8 per cent vote share in Nagaland, it would be granted the coveted status by the Election Commission of India.

JDU has roped in its senior party leadership for campaigning in Nagaland ahead of the state elections scheduled to take place later this year.

JDU national president Lalan Singh along with senior Bihar party leader was in Nagaland when its state unit launched its poll campaign in the state last month.

Apart from Lalan Singh, Bihar minister Sanjay Jha, Rajya Sabha MP Anil Prasad Hegde, and JDU’s northeast in charge, Afaq Ahmad participated in public meetings in Wokha and Dimpur on January 29 and January 30, 2023.

Also Read Story

Gangster-Politician Ansari dies of heart attack; Family alleges poisoning

PM Modi’s take on AI misuse with tech mogul Bill Gates

Wayanad set to be three-way contest with entry of K Surendran

Kejriwal accuses ED investigation of corruption