Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang wins trial of strength

Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang today won the trial of strength with 59 MLAs in the 60-member House voting in his favour at the one-day special session of the Assembly.
The special session of the Assembly was summoned by Governor P B Acharya in order to settle the internal squabbling within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) as 22 out of 38 of its legislators openly rebelled against Zeliang's leadership on January 5.
Speaker Chotisuh Sazo put the motion to voice vote but the chief minister said to maintain a record in the Assembly, a proper vote count should be conducted following which the 59 MLAs excluding the speaker cast votes in his favour.

The legislators who cast their votes for Zeliang include 37 of NPF, 8 of Congress, 4 BJP, 1 each of NCP and JD(U) and 8 Independents.
Moving the 'Motion of Confidence' in the Assembly, Zeliang said the NPF-led DAN came into existence in 2003. Since then, for the third consecutive term, the alliance has been running the affairs of the state.
As duly elected leader and having taken oath as Chief Minister of Nagaland, Zeliang said, it was his duty to protect the dignity of the Chief Minister's office and to see that it was not turned into a musical chair, whose occupants could be changed at the whims and fancies of some unprincipled politicians.

"Our mindsets must change, our attitude must change. We must ensure that we put the common good above all personal interest," Zeliang said.