Rising People's Party is set to merge with the Naga People's Front, marking another major realignment in Nagaland politics.
KOHIMA — In another significant realignment in Nagaland's regional politics, the Rising People's Party (RPP) is set to merge with the Naga People's Front (NPF), sources in the party told Eastern Mirror on Friday.
The merger is expected to be formally announced on Saturday at the NPF Central Office in Kohima.
The development comes less than a year after the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, merged with the NPF, reuniting the regional political space under the NPF banner. The merger was formally ratified in October 2025, following which Rio was elected president of the NPF. The unified party now has 34 MLAs in the 60-member Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
Founded in 2021, the Rising People's Party is headed by Joel Naga and carries the motto "For Freedom and Democracy."
The party first drew state-wide attention in 2022 when it undertook a 980-km "Walk to Save Nagaland", a 34-day march across 19 districts and regions to campaign against corruption, promote clean elections and highlight the poor condition of foothill roads.
In the 2023 Nagaland Assembly election, the RPP fielded only its president, Joel Naga, from the Tseminyu constituency, but failed to secure a seat. During the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the party extended its support to the Indian National Congress.
With its proposed merger into the NPF, the RPP is set to become the latest regional political outfit to join the state's oldest regional party, further consolidating Nagaland's regional political landscape.
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