Ahead of formation of all party govt, Nagaland Guv takes oath

Kohima, Sep 17 (IANS) A day before all the ruling and opposition parties in Nagaland are scheduled to hold a meeting to form an all-party government -- Nagaland United Government (NUG) -- Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Friday took additional charge of Nagaland at a function held at the Raj Bhavan here.Mukhi took charge as the 20th Governor of Nagaland with the judge of the Kohima bench of the Gauhati High Court, Justice Songkhupchung Setro, administering the oath of office.Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton, their cabinet colleagues and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.Surprising the political circles in Nagaland and other northeastern states, President Ram Nath Kovind on September 9 gave the additional charge of Nagaland to the Assam Governor after transferring Governor Ravindra Narayan Ravi to Tamil Nadu, even as he was the government's interlocutor for the much-debated Naga peace talks, which is now in the last stage of finalisation.In a significant political development, all the ruling and opposition parties in Nagaland will hold a meeting on Saturday to form the NUG headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, aiming to resolve the Naga political issue involving various outfits, including the NSCN (IM).
--IANS sc/arm