NDPP-BJP alliance routs Nagaland's oldest regional party
A new alliance led by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party took power in Nagaland, as its longtime rival collapsed.
NDPP-BJP alliance routs Nagaland's oldest regional party
What happened
The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party led an alliance to power in Nagaland, as the once-dominant Naga People's Front collapsed.
It won 25 of the 60 seats, short of a majority on its own.
With its ally the Bharatiya Janata Party, which took 12 seats, the alliance held 37 seats — past the 31-seat majority mark.
The NDPP alone took 32.2% of the vote, ahead of the BJP's 18.8%.
The campaign
In April 2022, 21 Naga People's Front MLAs, including then opposition leader T R Zeliang, defected to the ruling NDPP, reducing NPF's assembly strength to four ahead of the campaign.1
In November 2022, BJP district presidents in Kohima, Wokha and Peren switched to the Janata Dal (United), a setback for the BJP unit heading into the poll.2
The Election Commission announced the schedule on 18 January 2023, setting polling for 27 February and counting for 2 March.3
The NDPP and BJP, allied since July 2022, declared their seat-sharing formula on 2 February, with NDPP contesting 40 seats and BJP fielding 20 candidates.4
A Chungtia village council resolution penalising residents who defied its consensus-candidate pick reached the Gauhati High Court's Kohima Bench that October, before the body withdrew it; a BJP candidate was later elected unopposed at Akuluto after his Congress rival withdrew by the 10 February deadline.56
- 121 NPF MLAs, Including Opposition Leader Zeliang, Join NDPP — 2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
- 2BJP District Presidents in Three Districts Switch to JD(U) — 2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
- 3Election Commission Announces Nagaland Poll Schedule — 2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
- 4NDPP-BJP Alliance Announces Seat-Sharing Formula — 2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
- 5Gauhati High Court Hears Challenge to Village Council's Punitive Consensus-Candidate Resolution — 2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
- 6BJP's Kazheto Kinimi Elected Unopposed from Akuluto — 2023 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
What changed
The NPF's long run in office ended in collapse.
It had won 3 elections in a row before this one.
13 of the 44 seats that changed hands moved directly from the NPF to the NDPP.
Turnout, the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot, moved +1.4 pp from the previous election.
Notable numbers
Western Angami, Nagaland was decided by 7 votes — the tightest finish of the election, and the seat where Salhoutuonuo Kruse became one of Nagaland's first elected women MLAs.7
Northern Angami-Ii, Nagaland saw the election's widest margin — how far ahead the winner finished, over whoever came second — winning by 86.2% of the vote.
Moka, Nagaland recorded the highest turnout of any seat, 96.0%.
Ghaspani-I, Nagaland was the largest constituency by registered voters, with 76,063 on its rolls.
- 7Hekani Jakhalu and Salhoutuonuo Kruse Become Nagaland's First Elected Women MLAs — Hekani Jakhalu, Salhoutuonuo Kruse
The backdrop
Nagaland's leading regional party, formed in 1980, was renamed the Naga People's Front in 2002 and led the state's government in alliance with the BJP from 2003 to 2018.8
NPF legislators loyal to former chief minister Neiphiu Rio broke away in 2017 to form what became the NDPP, and Rio's new party has governed with the BJP ever since.9
- 8Nagaland's Leading Regional Party Renamed Naga People's Front — Naga People's Front, Naga National Democratic Party
- 9NPF Split Produces the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party — Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party, Naga People's Front