NPP MLAs who joined the Naga People’s Front (NPF) have now come under a disqualification challenge in Nagaland. The National People’s Party (NPP) filed separate petitions against all five legislators before the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Speaker on October 5.
The petitions invoke the anti-defection provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. The move opens a fresh legal and political dispute over the legislators’ October 1 switch to the NPF, which the Assembly has already recognised as a merger.
NPP MLAs face anti-defection challenge
The five NPP MLAs are A Nyamnyei Konyak, Nuklutoshi, C Kipili Sangtam, Dr Tseilhoutuo Rhutso and Benei M Lamthiu. All five won their seats on NPP tickets in the 2023 Nagaland Assembly election.
NPP national vice-president Vevoyi Wideo submitted the petitions and said the party would present its case before the Speaker according to law. He also said the NPP respected the constitutional office of the Speaker.
The petitions seek disqualification under the Tenth Schedule. However, filing the petitions does not itself establish that the MLAs have violated the anti-defection law. The Speaker will consider the competing claims under the applicable constitutional provisions.
NPP MLAs’ merger already recognised
The challenge follows a notification issued by the Nagaland Assembly Secretariat on October 1. The notification stated that the five legislators had furnished information about their merger with the NPF.
The Speaker declared the merger effective from October 1 under Paragraph 4(2) of the Tenth Schedule and the Members of Nagaland Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 2019. With the move, the NPF’s strength in the 60-member House rose to 39.
The NPF has maintained that the five legislators voluntarily merged with the regional party. The MLAs also expressed confidence in NPF president and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and said they subscribed to the party’s ideology and policies.
NPP MLAs face disputed merger claim
However, the NPP has strongly rejected the description of the move as a merger. Before filing the disqualification petitions, Vevoyi argued that a political merger should involve the concerned political parties rather than only elected legislators.
The NPP has also described the move as “poaching” and argued that the five legislators won their constituencies with an NPP mandate in 2023. The party said the electoral mandate should not automatically move to another party because elected members changed their political affiliation.
Moreover, the NPP questioned the need for the move because the NPF already held a majority in the Assembly. It argued that adding five more MLAs changed the size of the ruling party’s bench but did not alter the broader balance of power.
Tenth Schedule dispute before Speaker
The latest petitions place the dispute directly before the Assembly Speaker, who is empowered to deal with disqualification petitions under the anti-defection framework. The key issue will be whether the five legislators’ move qualifies for merger protection under Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule.
The development also highlights the changing political composition of Nagaland’s current Assembly. In October 2025, 31 legislators of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) were declared merged with the NPF under Paragraph 4(2). That earlier development followed the merger of the two political parties.
The latest case differs because the NPP as a political party has not announced a merger with the NPF. Therefore, the Speaker’s consideration of the petitions could add another chapter to Nagaland’s recent party realignments.
Political impact of NPP MLAs’ switch
The October 1 move left the NPP without an MLA in the 60-member Assembly and strengthened the NPF to 39 members. The NPF had already emerged as the dominant force in the House after earlier political realignments.
Meanwhile, the NPP has said it will pursue remedies available under the Constitution, the Tenth Schedule and other applicable laws. Its latest petitions formalise that challenge and shift the immediate focus to the Assembly’s constitutional process.
The Speaker’s decision will determine the next stage of the dispute. Until then, the five NPP MLAs remain at the centre of a significant political and constitutional question in Nagaland: whether their move to the NPF receives protection as a merger or attracts action under the anti-defection law.
Five-Year GPS Study Tracks Wild Elephants’ Movements Across Assam