NPF (Rio) asserts ECI needs only numbers that matter

'Only affidavits from CEC and legislature wing required' Dimapur, Nov. 29 (EMN): The NPF party led by Neiphiu Rio has on Wednesday claimed that a latest directive from the Election Commission of India has vindicated their majority group status and has rendered the show of numbers of the rival group, led by Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu, in the recent general conventions as a 'futile exercise.' The claim from the party comes in the backdrop of a directive from the ECI that have been issued to Dr. Shurhozelie Liezietsu with instructions to file his replies to the application by Neiphiu Rio on Nov. 7. A copy of the ECI letter is in possession of Eastern Mirror. It states that if any individual affidavits are to be filed, it has to be of only the apex-level representative bodies of the party. "If individual affidavits of support are being filed, the same should be confined to members of the apex level representative body of the party (i.e Central Executive Council), and the legislature wing (members of Parliament and state legislative assemblies) of the party," the directive from the ECI stated. The group led by Rio through its Press and Information Cell concluded that it as a clear recognition by the ECI of a split with two factions existing within the party with confidence that the issue will be resolved soon in their favour as they command the majority having 'maximum number of CEC and MLAs'. "The direction of ECI to our rival group to file only the affidavits of the members of central executive council (CEC) and the members of legislature wing (MP&MLA) is a clear vindication of the stand we had maintained from day one. In electoral politics nothing but majority prevails. As evidently expressed by the chief election commissioner on 28th Nov at hotel Japfü, they will follow the legal procedure and precedence’s[sic]. We welcome this statement and it has cemented our continuous stand that in the matter of party symbol dispute, the only criteria to determine the case is who commands the majority of the legislature wing and the party top executives. Moreover, the recognition expressed by the ECI that there are two factions in the NPF is legitimate and such recognition makes the Indian democracy stronger," stated the press release. It further attacked its rival group stating that the ECI in the letter that addressed Liezietsu without the prefix of president is a 'slap on the original and tall claims' of the 'splinter group.' It claimed that the writing on the wall is big enough for all to see and the 'conjecture is obvious' and that the direction to the rival group to submit their reply to the 'enclosures of 20thSeptember general convention' has cleared the air dismissing the 'misinformation campaign of our splinter group'. "The smear campaign carried out by our rival group against us by labelling our General convention as illegal, unconstitutional etc, stands dismissed and we hope that our rival group will do the needful as per the direction of ECI," it added.