Nagaland CM wins trial strength; dissident MLAs vote for him

Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang today won the trial of strength with 59 MLAs in the 60-member House, including all those who revolted against him, voting in his favour.
A special one-day session of the Assembly was summoned by Governor P B Acharya to settle the squabbling within ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) as 22 out of 38 of its legislators rebelled against Zeliang's leadership on January 5.
Speaker Chotisuh Sazo put the motion to voice vote but the chief minister said to maintain a record in the Assembly, a proper vote count should be conducted following which the 59 MLAs excluding the Speaker cast votes in his favour.

Thirty-seven legislators of NPF, eight of Congress, four of BJP, one each of NCP and JD(U) and 8 Independents voted for Zeliang.
Participating in the discussion, dissident MLA G Kaito Aye said the crisis arose because of the internal difference within the NPF and there was no need for holding a session for trial of strength.
The NPF had the mandate of the people and the problem should have been solved either by the NPF party president or Leader of the NPF Legislature Party outside the House, but it did not happen, he said.

"We have nothing to go against our own government and we do support the motion of confidence," he said.

BJP is a constituent of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) government that has 52 members headed by NPF with 38 legislators. The other constituents are seven Independents and one each of NCP and JD-U.
Moving the 'Motion of Confidence', Zeliang said it was his "duty to protect the dignity of the Chief Minister's Office and to see that it was not turned into a musical chair, whose occupants could be changed at the whims and fancies of some unprincipled politicians.
"Our mindsets must change, our attitude must change. We must ensure that we put the common good above all personal interest."

Expressing concern over the move of the dissident group, he said, "Under the 91st Amendment of the Constitution, which came into effect from January 1, 2004, splits in political parties are no more recognised."
He said the NPF in its wisdom has decided that the misguided party legislators must be given the opportunity to realise the error of their ways and return to the party fold.
Earlier, in his maiden address to the House, the Governor said that the House must "unite for serving the people, instead of dividing themselves into warring groups that fight each other for positions of power alone.