The Naga People’s Front (NPF) on Tuesday officially joined the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, marking a key step towards a possible merger with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

NPF secretary general Achumbemo Kikon said the party’s two MLAs, who were previously providing outside support to the PDA, are now formally part of the state government. The PDA, formed by the NDPP and the BJP ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, holds a comfortable majority in Nagaland.

“The president of the NPF hereby promulgates this ordinance to the effect that the NPF shall officially join the People’s Democratic Alliance government under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio,” Kikon stated.

Both parties are preparing for separate conventions in Kohima — the NDPP on October 18 and the NPF on October 21, coinciding with the latter’s 63rd foundation day. The NPF convention is expected to mark the formal unification of the two parties.

Earlier, Chief Minister Rio, accompanied by Parliamentary Affairs and Power Minister K.G. Kenye, visited veteran Naga leader and former Chief Minister Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu to seek his blessings. The meeting was seen as a gesture of reconciliation and continuity in the state’s regional political tradition.

Rio, who first became Chief Minister in 2003 after leaving the Congress to revive the NPF, had parted ways with the party in 2017 to form the NDPP. The NDPP-BJP alliance ended the NPF’s long-standing rule in 2018.

While NDPP leaders have so far remained cautious about the merger, Kikon said the development reflects a broader goal of uniting regional forces to address the aspirations of the Naga people and strengthen Nagaland’s political landscape.