Nagaland's NDPP, BJP dismiss merger speculation after 2023 assembly polls

Ruling alliance partners in Nagaland, NDPP and BJP, have dismissed Congress's speculation that the two parties will merge after the assembly elections due next year.

Addressing a joint press conference on Friday, National Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leader Neiba Kronu and BJP national spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon said that the speculation put forward by Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president K Therie and AICC Nagaland in-charge Ajoy Kumar on various occasions are a "figment of imagination".

"The BJP is a national party and has its own principles while NDPP is a regional entity with its own principles. There is neither any agenda nor have we held any discussion over merger with BJP," Kronu, a cabinet minister, said.

The two parties had last month announced that NDPP will contest 40 seats and BJP 20 constituencies in next year's assembly elections.

"The two parties entered into a pre-poll alliance before the 2018 assembly elections. Since then, both BJP and NDPP have maintained their own identities. The recent announcement of seat-sharing is iteration of the alliance.

"Our relationship has grown by leaps and bounds and will continue to become stronger. Congress is making such claims only to confuse people but there is no agenda for merger," Kikon, a government advisor, said.

Kronu also dismissed allegations that the state government was delaying the solution to the Naga political issue and asserted that it was trying its best to bring the stakeholders to the negotiating table.