The National People’s Party (NPP) has filed separate petitions before the Speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly seeking the disqualification of its five MLAs who recently joined the Naga People’s Front (NPF).
In a press statement dated October 5, NPP National Vice President Vevoyi D. Vadeo said the petitions were filed against each of the five legislators under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which contains provisions relating to disqualification on grounds of defection.The move follows the formal shift of the five NPP MLAs to the NPF.
The Nagaland Assembly Speaker had declared the merger effective from October 1, 2026, under Paragraph 4(2) of the Tenth Schedule and the Nagaland Legislative Assembly’s Disqualification on Ground of Defection Rules.The five legislators are A. Nyamnyei Konyak, Nuklutoshi, C. Kipili Sangtam, Dr. Tseilhoutuo Rhutso and Benei M. Lamthiu. Their joining has increased the NPF’s strength in the 60-member Assembly from 34 to 39, while the NPP is now left without any MLA in the House.
The NPP had earlier opposed the move, describing it as “poaching” rather than a merger between the two parties. The party had also questioned whether legislators elected on NPP tickets could transfer the mandate they received from voters to another political party, and had indicated that it would pursue legal remedies under the Constitution and the Tenth Schedule.
