Nagaland chief minister T.R. Zeliang called on prime minister Narendra Modi Friday to brief the latter about the choice of NPF nominee K.G.Kenye for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, as DAN consensus candidate. The seat fell vacant after the demise of then MP Khekiho Zhimomi in 2015.
According to the CMO, the legislators would vote for sending the lone representative to the upper house on March 21.
The NPF had ten party aspirants including an independent.
Zeliang informed the prime minister that as BJP, also had three aspirants but had agreed in principle to go with the NPF and the Independent MLAs’ choice.
He assured Modi that the NPF, an ally of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, would work together in the years to come for the betterment of the state and the nation.
According to CMO, the Prime Minister welcomed the selection and expressed his wishes to work together with the Nagas for the uplift of the state and the region as a whole.
Later in the day, Zeliang joined the Prime Minister to attend the World Culture Festival as guest of honour where the PM was the chief guest.
The Festival is being organised by the Art of Living foundation to commemorate its 35th Year in the service to humanity, and has been dubbed as a unique platform for spiritual and religious leaders, politicians, peace makers and artists to spread the message of global peace and harmony in diversity, the CMO stated. According to reports, host of legislators and some officials from Nagaland also accompanied chief minister T.R. Zeliang for the Art of Living event held at New Delhi.
According to sources, Modi had earlier expressed the hope that Nagaland would send a BJP to the Rajya Sabha since the party was in dire need of numbers.
BJP backs NPF nominee
BJP Nagaland state unit president Visasolie Lhoungu and minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, IT&C, P. Paiwang Konyak after holding consultative meeting with central party leaders in Delhi, have endorsed the candidature of K.G. Kenye, NPF party nominee for the Rajya Sabha, BJP general secretary media, Jaangsillung Gonmei informed in a statement.
While wishing Kenye success, BJP unit said it look forward to a phase of all round development and further strengthening of the DAN government and partners under his leadership. Till Friday, Kenye was the only candidate who had filed the nominations.