DIMAPUR, March 24 - The Opposition Naga People�s Front (NPF) has decided not to field any candidate to contest the lone Lok Sabha seat in Nagaland.
According to reports, the NPF received a letter from the Congress seeking support for its candidate in the State.
A source said that although the NPF was considering the proposal of the Congress, the party has not committed to support the Congress candidate.
With NPF out of the fray, the Lok Sabha battle in the State will be a straight fight between Congress candidate KL Chishi and ruling People�s Democratic Alliance�s candidate from Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party and sitting Lok Sabha MP Tokheho Yepthomi.
The State will go to polls on April 11 and the last date for filing of nominations is March 25. The last date for withdrawal of candidature has been fixed on March 28.
Nagaland Chief Minister and NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio asked what kind of politics the NPF was playing when it had 26 MLAs in the Nagaland Assembly and still planning to support a candidate from the Congress, which does not have even a single MLA.
According to Rio, this was due to the Opposition party not doing its homework properly.
He wondered how the NPF could not find a candidate to contest the Lok Sabha elections and said this only showed that the party�s leadership lacked vision.
Reacting to Rio�s statement, the NPF Legislature Party said it was all �Rio�s small thinking�. It said whatever the NPF decides to set up a candidate or not, it was not Rio�s lookout.
The NPF will kick off the campaign for its candidate Toshipokba Longkumer for the by-election to Aonglenden Assembly constituency at Ungma village in Mokokchung district on March 29. Both Lok Sabha poll and byelection in the State will be held simultaneously on April 11.
On Saturday, the Congress declared Alemjongshi Longkumer as its candidate to contest the Aonglenden Assembly constituency by-election.
