Imphal, March 7 (IANS): The Naga Peoples' Front (NPF) clinched four seats in the 60-member Manipur Assembly and the party today termed it an achievement. It also vowed to contest the Arunachal Pradesh and Assam polls on the issue of integrating Naga-dominated areas in the Northeast.
NPF had contested in 12 Naga-dominated constituencies in the hill districts of Manipur with the sole agenda of integration of Naga inhabited areas.
Senior NPF leader C. Ao said Wednesday: "I consider it to be an achievement of the NPF to win four seats out of 12. It was our maiden venture in Manipur and we must congratulate all the four leaders for making it to the assembly."
"We have faced many difficulties in electioneering in the run-up to the polls Jan 28," he said.
The senior NPF leader also said re-polling in constituencies where it had put up candidates had gone against it.
"You know that many of our leaders from Nagaland were not even allowed to visit polling stations ahead of the re-polling and so we have reason to believe there were some ulterior motives in keeping our leaders out of bounds," he said.
The rival Congress' final tally of 42 included 14 seats from the hill districts of Manipur, which are mainly inhabited by Naga and Kuki communities.
Sources in NPF said the party is now preparing to field candidates in the assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh in 2014 and the Assam assembly elections scheduled for 2016.
