KG Kenye refutes allegations of poaching NCP MLAs

Published on Jun 3, 2025

KOHIMA — Minister for Power and Parliamentary Affairs, KG Kenye, on Tuesday refuted allegations that the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) engaged in poaching Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislators, following their recent merger with the NDPP on May 31.
Responding to accusations made by NCP’s Chief National Spokesperson and National General Secretary, Brijmohan Shrivastav, who had alleged that the NDPP violated alliance principles by poaching its MLAs, Kenye clarified that the merger was carried out after completing all required formalities.
A file photo of KG Kenye (EM Images)
“I think that’s a wrong assumption, and I would not like them to use such language, because this was never engineered by anyone—least of all our party. It was a matter of principle and commitment to the people of the state. At no point was there any negotiation at any level. It is purely their decision,” the minister said.
Speaking to journalists in Kohima, Kenye said that the legislators were accompanied by their party president and other state-level officials when the merger petition was submitted to the Speaker. The NDPP officially accepted the merger through a letter issued by its president, Chingwang Konyak.

Also read: 7 Nationalist Congress Party MLAs in Nagaland merge with NDPP

Soon after the formalities were completed, the new members were invited to the Chief Minister’s residence for a cordial interaction, during which they explained their reasons for merging with the NDPP. The Chief Minister had just returned from New Delhi at the time of the meeting.
Explaining the motivations behind the merger, Kenye said that as a national party, the NCP is more focused on pan-India issues, which can make addressing the unique and sensitive concerns of Nagaland more difficult. He said the legislators, bound by the NCP’s constitution, likely felt it was challenging to align with local sentiments, and thus found it necessary to join the region’s largest party to better reflect the aspirations of the people.
On speculation of a possible cabinet reshuffle in the aftermath of the merger, the minister maintained that it is entirely the Chief Minister’s prerogative.
“With or without any merger, it is entirely up to him. At any time, if he feels that any one of his colleagues is not performing well enough, or for any other reason, he has the liberty to exercise his discretion,” he said.
“I have no comments there,” he added.