Kenye to be consensus candidate from Nagaland to RS

After a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nagaland Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang, it was decided that Naga People's Front's K.G. Kenye will be the consensus candidate for Rajya Sabha membership, said a source on Saturday.

Kenye is the secretary general of the Naga People's Front, the majority member of the coalition that has been in power in the state since 2003.

Other members of the ruling coalition -- Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) -- are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United). The coalition also has outside support.

The seat in the upper house of parliament fell vacant with the death in November last year of Khekiho Zhimomi, who was the sole Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland. The filling of this seat is scheduled to take place on March 21.

In his meeting on Friday with Chief Minister Zeliang, Prime Minister Modi had in fact wanted a BJP member to be nominated for the seat, said the source.

However, Zeliang told Modi that DAN had decided in favour of Kenye, the source added.

President of Nagaland unit of the BJP Visasolie Lhoungu said, "We support the candidacy of Kenye. We are confident that he will do many things in the interest of the people."