Path cleared for TR Zeliang to step in as new CM of Nagaland
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, May 13 2014 :
T.R Zeliang is likely to be sworn in as the next Chief Minister of Nagaland by next week.
Zeliang's becoming the next Chief Minister is inevitable now as Noke Wangnao has resigned from the race for the Chief Minister's post yesterday.
Incumbent Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is likely to win with a huge margin when results of the 16th Lok Sabha elections are declared on Friday.
Noke Wangnao has stated that though he deserves to be the Chief Minister of Nagaland he had to withdraw himself from the race in the interest of unity of NPF and Nagaland.
As reported by NNN few days ago, T.R Zeliang had commented that he is prepared to accept the responsibility if the elected members and the party (NPF) have confident on his leadership.
"I will always respect the majority voice," was what T.R Zeliang had stated.
It was also reported that if T R Zeliang succeeds Neiphiu Rio as the Chief Minister of Nagaland, then he is going to be the first Zeliangrong politician to go this far.
A former Zeliangrong student union leader, 62-year old T.R Zeliang won the first assembly election in 1982 as an Independent from Tening assembly constituency of Nagaland bordering Manipur.
He is a Graduate from Kohima Arts College.
He was a Rajya Sabha MP as recent as two years ago.
He contested on NPF ticket and won the Peren assembly seat in the 2013 Nagaland assembly election.
He is presently a Cabinet Minister taking charge of Planning and other departments.
It may be noted here that two months ago when Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio's name was cleared as the consensus candidate of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) in which Naga People's Front (NPF) is the principal constituent, for the Lok Sabha poll in Nagaland, names of Home minister Kaito, T.R Zeliang and NPF chief Shurhozelie were speculated as the possible men who would take the place of Rio.
However, after the poll, the names of Nagaland senior minister Noke Wangnao cropped up as one of the contenders for the top post while the names of Home minister Kaito and Shurhozelie were erased from the speculation board.
There are altogether 38 NPF legislators in the 60-member Nagaland legislative assembly.
Neiphiu Rio has been the chief minister since 2003.Both Neiphiu Rio and T.R Zeliang were the Men-Friday of Nagaland political stalwart SC Jamir during the Congress party honey-moon days in Nagaland.
Ever since Rio ditched Jamir to revive NPF in 2002, TR Zeliang has been the trusted lieutenant of Rio.
NPF dethroned the Jamir led Congress government in the 2003 assembly election and Neiphiu Rio became the chief minister.
Later, T.R Zeliang was sent to the Parliament as the Rajya Sabha member by the Rio led DAN government.
After a one-term stint as an MP, T.R Zeliang returned to the state politics and contested again in the 2013 Nagaland assembly election.