Nagaland crisis: Shurhozelie Liezietsu to succeed TR Zeliang as chief minister

Kohima: Naga People’s Front (NPF) leader Shurhozelie Liezietsu was on Monday elected the new legislature party leader of the ruling Democratic Alliance to be the new Nagaland chief minister. [caption id=“attachment_2032483” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image TR Zeliang. PIB[/caption] Shurhozelie was elected after Chief Minister TR Zeliang resigned on Sunday night bowing to the demands of protesting tribal groups opposed to his move to hold civic polls with 33 per cent reservation for women. “Shurhozelie has been unanimously elected the new legislature party leader of the NPF and also of the government,” Nagaland’s lone Rajya Sabha member KG Kenye told IANS. “If the Governor (PB Acharya) is not leaving Kohima for Arunachal Pradesh, we expect Shurhozelie to be sworn in this evening,” Kenye said. Acharya holds additional charge as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. The Governor accepted Zeliang’s resignation on Sunday but asked him to continue in office till an alternative arrangement was made. On 15 February, 42 of the 49 legislators unanimously supported Shurhozelie as their new legislature party leader to break the deadlock between the agitating tribal groups and the government. Shurhozelie has been elected to the Nagaland assembly eight times from Northern Angami assembly constituency. But he did not contest the 2013 election. For more than two weeks, the government machinery in Nagaland has been in a state of limbo following an indefinite shutdown. Nagaland has been in turmoil since January after the NPF-led government decided to hold local body elections in 12 towns across the state. Three persons were killed following clashes between police and civilians.