NPF withholds party ticket for Pfutsero Town Council by-election ahead of NDPP merger talks

DIMAPUR — The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has decided not to issue a party ticket for the upcoming Ward No. 11, Zhipa, by-election to the Pfutsero Town Council, citing the need to maintain a congenial environment ahead of its scheduled general convention.

In an office memorandum on Tuesday, the NPF Central Office stated that while it had received two applications for the party ticket, the decision to withhold endorsements was taken “in order not to vitiate the congenial environment that has been created thus far for the upcoming General Convention.”

The party has notified that its General Convention will be held on October 21 in Kohima, to bring “two regional political parties into a single platform” and facilitate a smooth transition of responsibilities within its organisational structure.

Also read: Nagaland: State Election Commission notifies party list, symbols for Zhipa poll

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The development comes as the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is scheduled to hold its own general convention on October 18 to consider the NPF’s offer of a possible merger.

The NDPP’s central executive board, meeting under party President Chingwang Konyak and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in September, had welcomed the offer while stressing that constitutional procedures must be followed before any final decision is made.