In the run-up to the 2018 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, the ruling Naga People's Front split over whether to continue its coalition with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
A rebel group led by former chief minister Neiphiu Rio created the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party,[1] and the NDPP and BJP contested the election in alliance.
[2] They won the election, and formed a coalition government under Rio, with the NPF serving as the opposition.
The NPF cited a shared need to resolve the "Naga political issue" and the ongoing negotiations with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim and other separatist groups as the reason for its decision.
[8] Several news outlets dubbed the new government "Opposition-less",[9] as all seats in the Legislative Assembly are held by constituent parties.