Zhaleo Rio certain to become NLA’s deputy speaker

Kohima Bureau Kohima, March 25 (EMN): Sixty-five-year old Zhaleo Rio, a former bureaucrat, is set to become the new deputy speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA). Election to the Assembly deputy speaker’s post has been scheduled to be held on March 26. The nomination period for filling up of the deputy speaker’s post was set on March 24 and it has been learnt that Zhaleo Rio was the only candidate to have filed the nomination papers so far, which means he would be elected uncontested. Rio hails from Touphema village and has served under the state government in various capacities from 1978 to 2013. He was conferred IAS in 1997. In 2013, he voluntarily retired from government service and entered electoral politics. He got elected to the 12th NLA from Ghaspani-II assembly constituency and served as a parliamentary secretary. He got re-elected from the same constituency in the recently concluded assembly election to the 13th NLA. He is the younger brother of the present Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.