Shurhozeilie Leizietsu to take oath as Nagaland CM today

Shurhozelie Liezietsu will be the 17th Chief Minister of Nagaland.

Kohima: Shurhozelie Liezietsu will on Wednesday take oath as Nagaland's new chief minister.

Shurhozelie will be the 17th Chief Minister of Nagaland.

He met Governor PB Acharya on Monday to stake claim to form a new government.

The 81-year-old Naga People's Front (NPF) leader was elected head of the NPF legislature party after Chief Minister TR Zeliang resigned on Sunday night bowing to the demands of protesting tribal groups opposed to his move to hold civic polls with 33 percent reservation for women.

The Governor had accepted Zeliang's resignation but asked him to continue in office till an alternative arrangement was made.

The NPF is the major constituent of the opposition-less DAN coalition government with 48 legislators, including its suspended NPF member Imkong Imchen, in the 60-member Nagaland Assembly.

Eight Independents and four Bharatiya Janata Party legislators are part of the DAN government.

In his acceptance speech after he was unanimously elected Leader of the DAN legislature party, Shurhozelie had lauded Zeliang's "supreme sacrifice" of vacating his chair to save Naga people from going into further turmoil.

Shurhozelie has been elected to the Nagaland Assembly eight times from Northern Angami Assembly constituency. But he did not contest the 2013 election and paved way for his son Khriehu Liezietsu.

Nagaland has been in turmoil since January after Zeliang decided to hold local body elections in 12 towns across the state. The government has been in limbo following an indefinite shutdown.

(With IANS inputs)