Nagaland polls: DAN two short of majority

Kohima: Results of the Assembly elections in Nagaland have come as a setback to the Congress with the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) emerging as the frontrunner to form the next government.

The alliance is headed by the Nagaland People's Front (NPF) with the other partners being the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United) and the Nationalist Congress Party. It has bagged 29 seats and is just two short of the required majority of 31 in the 60-member Assembly.

The Congress is at the second place with 22 seats while others have won six seats out of the 57 results that were announced. Congress leaders there have said the policy of bringing in President's rule in the state seems to have boomeranged on the party.

The independents could prove crucial, with the DAN already saying they're confident of making up the numbers and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio is all set to head the four-party alliance government for the second time.

"Coalition ministry will be there. Regional party will be there because Naga people like regional party," NPF's Kiyaneilie claims.

But the coalition dream of the DAN might be a long shot and that's because the Congress, which mounted a campaign on the development plank while carefully avoiding the regional lines, has also managed to bag a sizeable number of seats.

But in a mandate that's stopping short of a clear one are the smaller parties like the NCP, which have a foot in both the boats and the independents who will decide the final shape of the next Nagaland government.

"NCP is already in our fold. When all the allies will have the meeting, NCP will be a part of the DAN coalition government. We already have a majority as of now," says another NPF leader, Nicky Kire.

At the end irrespective of whichever government or coalition comes to power, most importantly in Nagaland the call for peace and development is what most voters can silently hope.

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