Naga People's Front

Naga People's Front
AbbreviationNPF
LeaderNeiphiu Rio
PresidentNeiphiu Rio
FounderNeiphiu Rio
Founded21 October 1963
HeadquartersKohima, Nagaland
Youth wingImchatoba Imchen
Women's wingSano Vamuzo
IdeologyConservatism[1]
Christian right
Regionalism
Naga nationalism
Political positionCentre-right
ColoursDark blue and Red
SloganFacta non verba
ECI StatusState Party[2]
AllianceNDA (2003-present)
NEDA (2017-Present)
Seats in Rajya Sabha
0 / 245
Seats in Lok Sabha
0 / 543
Seats in Nagaland Legislative Assembly
34 / 60
Seats in Manipur Legislative Assembly
5 / 60
Election symbol

Rooster
Party flag
Website
NagaPeoplesFront.org

The Naga People's Front (NPF) is a regional political party in the Indian states of Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. It is currently the ruling party in the Indian state of Nagaland. It heads the Nagaland government with the Bharatiya Janata Party, as part of the People's Democratic Alliance. NPF is a coalition partner of the N. Biren Singh ministry-led BJP government in Manipur. The party ideology includes protecting Christian right, thus encouraging it. It demands and supports greater autonomy for Naga areas and Naga cultural nationalism.

Neiphiu Rio is the current president of the party. Awangbow Newmai is president of the party in Manipur, while Losii Dikho is the Legislature Party Leader of NPF in the Manipur Legislative Assembly. Neiphiu Rio, the Lok Sabha member from the lone constituency of Nagaland, is the leader of the party since 18 October 2025. He earlier served until 16 January 2018.[3]

On 22 March 2004, the NPF merged with the Nagaland Democratic Party. On 19 October 2025, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party merged with NPF.

History

Name Changes

Over its history, the party has undergone several nomenclature changes while maintaining its original motto and symbol:

  • 1963: Democratic Party of Nagaland (DPN)
  • 1969: United Front of Nagaland (UFN).
  • 1972: United Democratic Front (UDF).
  • 1980: Naga Nationalist Democratic Party (NNDP).
  • 1998: Naga People's Council (NPC).
  • 2002: Rebranded to Naga People's Front (NPF) during its Ninth General Convention to be more inclusive.

Prior to October 2002, the party was known as Nagaland People's Council (NPC).[4] The name of the party was changed to Naga People's Front (NPF) in the Ninth General Convention held at Kohima in October 2002. This historic decision found wide acceptance among the people of the state, as a popular wish of the state was to modify the leadership of the state and make it more inclusive.

For the 2014 General Election, the North-East Regional Political Front (NERPF), a consortium of 10 regional parties, including the Naga People's Front announced their support for the NDA.[5]

Currently, the NPF is a part of North-East Regional Political Front consisting of political parties of the northeast which has supported the National Democratic Alliance (India).

In May 2016, after the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance formed its first government in Assam, a new alliance called the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) was formed with Himanta Biswa Sarma as its convener. The Chief Ministers of the north eastern states of Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland too belong to this alliance. Thus, the Naga People's Front joined the BJP-led NEDA. On 18 May 2019 NPF pulled out of NDA Government in Manipur.[6] After 2022 Manipur Legislative Assembly election, NPF rejoined NDA Government in Manipur.[7]

On 21 October 2023, Apong Pongener was elected as President of Naga People's Front.[8]

In June 2024 the NPF reaffirmed its support for the BJP government in Manipur.[9]

In October 2025, the NDPP merged with the party and Neiphiu Rio became the party leader and national president. NPF became the ruling party of Nagaland.

Aims and objectives

The aims and objectives of the Naga Peoples Front are:

  1. To work and assist in any possible manner on any approach for a peaceful solution of the Indo-Naga political issue, keeping alive at the same time the fire of relentless endeavour to stand against any force to further divide the Nagas and thereby move towards a renaissance of Naga brotherhood by making constant appeal to Naga conscience.
  2. To strive to bring about electoral reforms suited to our way of life aimed at a national resurgence in the society towards whom the Party is duty bound and thereby to liberate the Naga society from the deadly clutches of degeneration.
  3. To work for unity and integrity of the people by integrating all contiguous Naga inhabited areas under one administrative roof and also to provide protection to all the ethnic groups who are indigenous inhabitants of the State.
  4. To restore the good name and clean image which the Nagas enjoyed in the past by taking the fight against all forms of corruption at all levels of Government.
  5. To restore to the people the self-discipline and the spirit of self-reliance which the Nagas had in abundance in the past but which have been seriously eroded in the recent past.
  6. To work for economic advancement of the people with special emphasis on rural development with a view to removing economic disparity in the society.
  7. To strive for a clean and efficient administration.
  8. To strictly abide by the Rule of Law in the dispensation of Justice.

List of chief ministers

No Name Portrait Term of office[10] Days in office
1 Neiphiu Rio 6 March 2003 3 January 2008 4 years, 306 days
12 March 2008 24 May 2014 6 years, 73 days
2 T. R. Zeliang 24 May 2014 22 February 2017 2 years, 274 days
3 Shürhozelie Liezietsu 22 February 2017 19 July 2017 147 days
(2) T. R. Zeliang 19 July 2017 8 March 2018 232 days
(1) Neiphiu Rio 20 October 2025 Incumbent 140 days

See also

References

  1. ^ "Website".
  2. ^ "List of Political Parties and Election Symbols main Notification Dated 18.01.2013" (PDF). India: Election Commission of India. 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Sixteenth Lok Sabha Nagaland". Lok Sabha. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  4. ^ Dr Tapan, Das (21 August 2019). "Regionalism and Political Party in North-East India: A Case Study of Naga People's Front" (PDF). International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention. 8 (9): 6. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Northeast front backs NDA". The Hindu. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Amit Shah holds meeting with northeast CMs, forms alliance". Hindustan Times. 25 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Except NPF no other parties to be included in Govt, says Manipur CM". Nagaland Post. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2023.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Apong Pongener replaces Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu as NPF president". The Morung Express. 21 October 2023. p. 1. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  9. ^ Press Trust of India (7 June 2024). "NPF reaffirms support to BJP". The Times of India.
  10. ^ "General Information, Nagaland". Information & Public Relations department, Nagaland government. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaland_Peoples_Front