Stirrings in DAN partners over Rio as consensus candidate

Correspondent
KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 26

EVEN as differences seem to have cropped up between the officials and legislators of Nagaland unit of NCP on the support extended to DAN consensus candidate Neiphiu Rio for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the State, the NCP Legislature Party remains firm on its Monday’s decision.
Talking to this correspondent, NCP Legislature Party leader Dr. TM Lotha said the statement issued against the legislators’ decision, which appeared in local dailies today, would not change their decision.
He said the four NCP legislators along with some of the NCP state unit leaders had a meeting on Monday and the decision to support Rio was unanimously taken.
He also said the party leaders in the State have already sought the approval of the NCP central leaders. He further maintained that at this juncture NCP is not in a position to set up own candidate for the Lok Sabha seat in the State.
He, therefore, reaffirmed that the NCP Legislature Party and NCP leaders would support the DAN consensus candidate in the State.
But the issue of Rio as a DAN consensus candidate is causing some heartburn within the BJP, a constituent partner of the DAN.
BJP National Executive Member K Medom Angami sought clarification, on behalf of all state executives, on the statement of the State patyr president published in a local daily (not Eastern Mirror) on February 21.
The statement said “the State office bearers, senior members, State executives and leaders held a meeting on 3rd January, 2014 and resolved that BJP will set up a Lok Sabha candidate, which is yet to be solved.” Moreover, some ticket seekers of Lok Sabha candidature, who had already submitted their application to the State president, were not endorsed to the Lok Sabha Search Committee headed by R Sopu, Convenor, State vice president and K Medom Angami, co-convenor (Guardian in-Charge of Search Committee). Therefore, the matter was not yet finalized.’
In this regard, Angami, in a release today, said “Whoever of the party may be extending full support to DAN consensus candidate is not appropriate when the matter is not discussed at the party level. The applicants are also complaining why their application was not endorsed to the committee as every party worker has a full democratic right to apply for party ticket.”
Angmai also stated that in order to let the party function smoothly, all party members and workers must be taken into confidence and abide by the party resolution.