Kohima, Feb 9 (PTI) Naga People’s Front legislator Y M Yollow Konyak was Wednesday sworn-in as cabinet minister in the opposition-less UDA government led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
Nagaland Governor Jagdish Mukhi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Yollow at the Raj Bhavan here.
His induction was against the vacant cabinet berth following the demise of Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change C M Chang of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party in October 2020.
Yollow represents the 42-Wakching Assembly Constituency in Mon district. He was first elected as an Independent candidate from the same constituency in 2013 and appointed chairman of the Nagaland Honey Mission.
The NDPP, with 21 members in the 60-member assembly, has four cabinet ministers including the chief minister, while six are from the BJP, one from the NPF and an Independent.
Chairman of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) T R Zeliang, who was part of the swearing-in ceremony, later told reporters that the CM has agreed to campaign for NPF candidates in the upcoming Manipur assembly elections.
The NPF is fielding 10 candidates in Manipur, which is going to polls in two phases on February 27 and March 10.
On the proposal of NPF for a political merger with the NDPP, Zeliang said, We have given them an open invitation and are awaiting a decision at their end.
In Manipur, the BJP and NPF are coalition partners, and in Nagaland too, with the formation of an opposition-less government, NPF along with the NDPP are coalition partners with the BJP, Zeliang added.
Meanwhile, Rio on Wednesday appointed NDPP MLAs H Chuba Chang and S Keoshu Yimchunger as advisors.
Chang has been allocated the Justice & Law and SCERT departments, while Yimchunger was given Village Guards and Information & Public Relations departments.
In a notification, Chief Secretary J Alam said the appointments would help utilise the vast and practical experience of the members of the assembly for the benefit of the public.