One with majority of votes should be CM: Nagaland Governor on political crisis

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in the state, Nagaland Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya on Saturday asserted that the one who has got the majority of votes should be the Chief Minister of the state, adding that the political stability is a must in the state.

"Political stability in the state is needed at this point of time in Nagaland. Whoever has got the majority of votes should just prove it. At present TR Zeliang has got the majority of the support of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) members and he has claimed his leadership. I am acting as per the Constitution of India," Acharya told ANI.

He said that incumbent Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu is not a leader of the house, as he is not elected, while Zeliang is a leader as well as the chairman of the DAN, adding Shurhozelie, anyhow, had to go on polling in next six months.

"I have nothing to do with the appointment of the Chief Minister. I am acting as per the letter of the Zeliang which had the signature of 35 or 36 leaders of Naga People's Front (NPF). He claimed that he has the majority of votes," he said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu rejected Governor Acharya's directive to seek trust votes, saying the government is going strong and there is no point to go on floor test.

"Politics is a numbers' game, I know that I have less numbers, but I am holding the fort. If no confidence motion is tabled against me, there is no point going to the floor. This is my strength and I will continue with this. I have all the party with me and the government is going strong," Liezietsu told ANI.

Referring to the situation of Nagaland as 'shameful,' Liezietsu said he is running the state normally and that his party stands united with him.

Liezietsu's statement came after the Kohima bench of the Guwahati High Court, earlier in the day, stayed the Nagaland Governor's directive to the chief minister to seek a trust vote in the Assembly on or before July 15.

The bench stayed the order on a plea by Liezietsu, where he stated that the Governor's directive was ex-facie unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary and violative of the basic features of the Constitution.

Earlier, Governor Acharya stated that he was prima facie convinced that Zeliang enjoys majority support.

The press release issued by the Raj Bhavan stated that Liezietsu did not disprove Zeliang's claim that he enjoyed the support of 44 MLAs in a House with a total strength of 59.