The second latest crisis of the NPF party has again brought to light the fierce rivalry between the members within the party. The NPF was founded only in 2002 but used the symbol and the motto of the oldest regional party in the state and it also derives it ethos from the regional party that started as United Front of Nagaland in the sixties. It all it various avatars like the UFN, UDF, NNDP, NPC and NPF the state has witnessed the highest numbers of chief ministers under this party. However, the high number of chief ministers not only indicate the times the people voted the party to power but also the instability of its government in some tenures. In the current tenure starting from 2013, chief ministers were sworn in four times making it the highest in any tenure till date. The party with its motto, fide non armis meaning faith not arms that have been voted to power by the electorate is now deeply enmeshed in its own war within the party. The party may have its principles based on the grand old regional party of the state with some party workers from those early days too. However, the elected members are the representatives of the people and inspite of the corruption in the electoral system elected representatives always will have a higher status and say. Successful political parties know how to maintain this healthy relationship between the political party organisation and the elected members because it is the elected members who will decide the success of the party. Other than being a loyal party worker the whole individual in the form of the elected representative, read one who wins elections is a necessity for the political party. The NPF party with already 38 MLAs in 2013 instead of humbling down to the immense trust that the Naga electorate had in them created their own problem. Although the crisis in the government is always brought about by the elected members of the party, the political party no doubt always has a hidden hand in it. The party somehow seems to have lost to maintain that balance between the elected members and the political party ushering in a tenure full of crises. Moreover, in their struggle for power they also at one point of time took the help of their staunch opponents who the people had already lost trust and had only 8 legislators. The same people from the party that came up with a booklet of the NPF’s alleged mis-governance for the last 2 tenures. The same party that convinced their party in power at the Centre to decrease the fund allocation of the state . The merger of the eight Congress MLAs to the party saved their day but still many consider it as a last ditch effort to save themselves from disqualification. Next , the expulsions and suspensions within the party have become a joke in social media. Such occurrences in the current tenure only indicates to what extent the elected members from the state will go to grab power and to be in power. The crisis may have also manifested the real picture of the power struggle and the rivalry that exists in the Naga society with the various clan/village/ tribal dynamics at play. However sadly, the present tenure did not profit anyone in any way. The problems that have cropped up in multitude all over the state is a result of this power struggle, no thanks to the ruling party. It is the public who elected a political party to power with 38 MLAs are the real sufferers. The instability was brought about by the elected members changing allegiance and the blame goes to them but they have to go to the electorate again. When the electorate rejects such leaders it is also the party that loses out in the end. The fastest way to end a political party is thus.
