Thursday, August 7

Former Nagaland minister and BJP spokesperson Mmhonlumo Kikon quits party

Kohima, Aug 7 (IANS) BJP national spokesperson and former Nagaland minister Mmhonlumo Kikon has resigned from the primary and active membership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and all party posts on Thursday.

The Nagaland BJP has not yet issued any official statement regarding his resignation.

In a resignation letter addressed to the President of the BJP Nagaland state unit, Kikon, a former two-time MLA from the Bhandari assembly constituency in Nagaland, expressed gratitude for the opportunities and responsibilities entrusted to him during his more than ten-year association with the party.

“Since joining the BJP more than a decade ago, I have had the honour of serving the party and contributing to its growth and activities in various capacities and responsibilities entrusted to me. My association with the Party has been a deeply enriching experience, having served as Prabhari (observer) of Mizoram state and also as National Spokesperson,” Kikon said.

He said that the time has come for him to take a step back and re-calibrate his journey.

“My decision is guided by the need to explore new avenues of public engagement and policy work, which I believe will allow me to continue contributing to society in different ways,” the Naga leader said.

He was also the State Election Officer for BJP Nagaland and served as the Chief Whip of the BJP Legislature Party in the Nagaland Assembly.

A former Minister in Nagaland, Kikon’s political career includes two consecutive victories to the state assembly from the Bhandari assembly constituency in 2013 and 2018.

He also served as Advisor to the Nagaland government for Information Technology, Science and Technology, and New and Renewable Energy departments.

In 2020, Kikon was named among the ‘Top 50 MLAs’ in India in a survey by Fame India magazine.

Besides politics, Kikon, who holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from Delhi University, is a renowned poet, with two books to his credit and an ASPEN Fellow.

He previously was very active in various social activities.

With 12 MLAs BJP is a partner of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) led coalition government in Nagaland.

–IANS

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