Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leader Neiphiu Rio took oath as the Chief Minister of Nagaland on Tuesday for his fifth term. Governor La Ganesan administered the oath of office and secrecy to 72-year-old Rio. TR Zeliang of NDPP and Y Patton of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were sworn in as the Deputy Chief Ministers of the state.
Other members of Rio’s cabinet were also sworn in. Among those sworn in as members of the Council of Ministers are BJP state unit chief Temjen Imna Along, popular on social media for her witty sense of humour, and Salhoutuonuo Kruse, one of the two women elected to the Nagaland Assembly for the first time. Kruse and Hekani Jakhlu have reached the Nagaland Assembly for the first time by winning the elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda and Assam Chief Minister and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Vishwa Sharma were also present on the occasion. Rio’s cabinet has seven ministers from the NDPP and five from the BJP. Kruse and P Bashangmonba are the only new faces inducted into the Council of Ministers.
Krause said she was happy to be the state’s first female cabinet minister. She said that whatever department will be given to her, she will work seriously for the people. Talking to reporters, Rio thanked the people of the state for giving him a fifth term. He said that the distribution of portfolios of the ministers would be done after the first meeting of the cabinet to be held on Tuesday evening. Rio will head an all-party government in his state, where there will be no opposition.
The NDPP-BJP alliance won 37 of the 60 seats in the state assembly in the recently concluded assembly elections. Rio first became the chief minister of the state in 2003. He then became Chief Minister in 2008 and 2013, but resigned in 2014 and was elected to the Lok Sabha. After this, he again became the Chief Minister in 2018. At the same time, with his fifth term, Rio has become the longest serving chief minister in Nagaland. He broke the record held by SC Jamir, who was chief minister in 1980, 1982–86, 1989–90, and 1993–2003.
