BJP, NDPP to accommodate each other in Nagaland municipal polls

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Nagaland announced its strategy for the upcoming 2024 municipal and town council elections in the state. In a press release on June 8, BJP Nagaland State President Benjamin Yepthomi said the party has decided to field candidates on the basis of certain arrangements after consultations with its alliance partner, the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

The BJP will nominate candidates in all wards of municipal and town councils that fall under the 12 assembly constituencies where the party has sitting MLAs currently. However, it will not field candidates in wards belonging to the 25 assembly segments represented by the NDPP, and vice versa.

In the 23 assembly constituencies not held by either the BJP or the NDPP, the two allies will have a "friendly contest" by fielding candidates against each other in the respective municipal wards.

Yepthomi stated that wherever possible, the BJP and NDPP will work towards accommodating each other's candidates through mutual understanding, taking into account the winnability factor.

This strategy has been formulated in the "greater and common interest" of the People's Democratic Alliance government in the state, which comprises the NDPP, BJP and some independent MLAs.