Kohima, Jan 22: In what can be termed as BJP’s surgical strike ahead of Nagaland polls, veteran Nagaland politician and four-time MLA, Imkong L. Imchen, has resigned from the Assembly and Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). He would be joining the BJP, which is an ally of NDPP and was part of the Neiphiu Rio led Government.

72-year-old Imchen, a MLA since 2003, said that he resigned on “personal grounds” and would join the BJP.

Imchen was among the 21 Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislators that merged with the NDPP in April last year.

The NDPP is the dominant party of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government, an all-party opposition less government in the northeastern state. The BJP with 12 MLAs is a partner of the UDA government.

In the upcoming February 27, 2023 assembly elections, the NDPP and the BJP have already finalised the seat sharing deal and announced to field 40 and 20 candidates, respectively by the two parties.