The letter TR Zeliang sent to the Governor staking claim to the government

GUWAHATI: Amid the leadership crisis in the ruling Nagaland People's Front, Governor P B Acharya has asked Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu to seek vote of confidence in the Assembly on or before July 15.Five months after the CM took charge, former Chief Minister TR Zeliang staked his claim to the government.Zeliang, claiming support of 41 of the 59 MLAs in the assembly, had on Sunday written to Acharya for inviting him to form a new NPF-led DAN government at the earliest.Shürhozelie Liezietsu, on the other hand, filed his nomination for the Northern Angami-I assembly constituency bypoll. The poll will be held on July 29 after sitting MLA and Liezietsu’s son, Khriehu , vacated the seat to allow his father to become a member of the assembly.Liezietsu, president of the ruling Naga Peoples’ Front, was sworn in as a non-MLA CM in February after the then chief minister TR Zeliang stepped down following widespread public dissent in the state over the government’s decision to reserve seats for women in urban local bodies election.The nomination of Liezietsu as the party candidate for the bypoll is the prime reason for the current rebellion led by Zeliang. The rebels have accused Liezietsu of being autocratic and challenged his leadership. The word is that Liezietsu had assured to return Zeliang the CM’s chair after three months, which he didn’t do even after five months.Liezietsu said that he had taken charge of the state for six months to stablise the situation.“I had offered Zeliang to take charge but he has rejected my offer,” Liezeitsu said explaining why he is contesting the bypoll.“I am filing my nomination today. The political crisis is an internal matter of the Naga Peoples Front and will be solved by the party. This crisis has got nothing to do with governance,” Liezietsu told TOI over telephone from Kohima this morning.He said that crisis is still continuing and all the 33 rebel NPF MLAs are still camping at the resort at Kaziranga National Park in neighbouring Assam