The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), which rules Nagaland in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is set to merge with the regional party it had split from in 2017.
The merger between the NDPP and the Naga People’s Front (NPF) is expected to take place within a week.
On Tuesday (October 14, 2025), the NPF formally joined the People’s Democratic Alliance government led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
“The two parties are merging and we hope to declare it on October 21,” NPF legislator Küzholüzo Nienü told The Hindu on Wednesday (October 15, 2025).
The NDPP was formed by NPF rebels, including Mr. Rio, ahead of the 2017 Nagaland Assembly elections. Although the NPF had emerged as the single-largest party, the NDPP and the BJP went on to form the government along with some smaller parties.
