Nagaland: Governor Acharya administers Oath of Office, Secrecy to ten Cabinet Ministers

Kohima (Nagaland) [India], July 22 (ANI): Governor of Nagaland Padmanabha B. Acharya administered Oath of Office and Secrecy to ten Cabinet Ministers at a function held at Raj Bhavan's Durbar Hall here on Saturday. The ministers inducted were G. Kaito Aye, Imkong L. Imchen, Tokheho Yepthomi, Y. Patton, Kipili Sangtam, Dr. Neikiesalie Nicky Kire, Imtilemba Sangtem, Kejong Chang, Neiba Kronu and Mmhonlumo Kikon. On July 19, T.R. Zeliang was sworn-in as the 18th Chief Minister of Nagaland. Earlier, the ongoing political crisis over leadership within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) culminated when Zeliang staked claim to form the government after Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu did not turn up to face a floor test at a special session of the state assembly. Following this, the House was adjourned sine die. Speaker Imtiwapang Aier had summoned special session on July 19 on the directions of the Governor to give Liezietsu a chance to prove his majority in the in the 60-member Assembly. Zeliang - who was chief minister from May 24, 2014 to February 22, 2017 - was present in the House with his supporters MLAs, including four Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and seven Independents. Zeliang was forced out of office in February following large-scale protests over holding of urban local bodies' election with 33 percent reservation for women. The decks were cleared for the trust vote to resolve the ongoing crisis over leadership within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) when on Tuesday the Kohima Bench of the Guwahati High Court rejected Liezietsu's prayer for sufficient time to obtain the vote of confidence after the by-election to be held on July 29, in which he is the party candidate. Lietzietsu had moved the court on July 14, a day before the governor's deadline for the floor test, and the court had stayed the governor's order till Monday. The court observed that the Governor had taken the right decision to ask the Chief Minister to have a vote of confidence on the floor of the House to see which, out of the two contesting claimants of Chief Ministership, had a majority in the House. (ANI)