Kohima, March 8: Neiphiu Rio, leader of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland along with and the 11 other council ministers. In a first, Rio took the oath as the new Chief Minister in full public view at the Kohima Local Ground along with the council of ministers. With this, the NDPP leader has assumed the charge of Nagaland chief minister for the fourth time.

Rio had served his three previous terms between 2003 and May 2014, making him the only Nagaland Chief Minister to have served three consecutive terms in office. Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP chief Amit Shah were among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony.

After gaining victory in the recently held Assembly Elections in the state, the NDPP in alliance with the BJP took over the reins of the north-eastern state with the support of 32 MLAs.  As per reports, the lone JD(U) MLA in the Nagaland Assembly, as well as an Independent MLA, will also be inducted as minister in the new government.

Nagaland Governor P B Acharya administered the oath taking ceremony and secrecy to Rio and the 11 ministers at the main rostrum of the ground, in the presence of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Amit Shah.

The venue holds significance as the announcement of Nagaland’s statehood on December 1, 1963 was made from here by the then president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The swearing-in ceremonies in the state have so far been high-profile shows at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, with VVIPs, VIPs and top bureaucrats in attendance.

As the swearing-in ceremony would be held at the Kohima Local Ground, the stretch between the Y-junction and the DC office was repaired to ensure a smooth commute, sources said. The state had invited the common people to the ceremony through newspaper advertisements issued by the Department of Information and Public Relations.

As per reports, the Governor has asked Rio to prove his majority on the House floor on or before March 16. It must be noted that the BJP contested 2018 Nagaland assembly elections in alliance with the NDPP after quitting its 15-year-old alliance with the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF).  To recall, the BJP won 11 seats, NDPP 16 seats, Naga People’s Front (NPF) 27 seats and others four seats in the election, paving way for the Rio-led party to form government in India’s oldest insurgency-hit state.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2018 12:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).