Neiphiu Rio: Nagaland's longest-serving Chief Minister

Born in Tuophema village in Kohima District, Rio is the son of Guolhoulie Rio and Kevilhouü, and belonge to the Angami Naga tribe

Three-time Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio has been announced as the CM face of the BJP-NDPP alliance in the upcoming Assembly election.

Previously having held the office for three terms, (2003–08, 2008–13, and 2013–14), the only Nagaland Chief Minister to do so, Rio was a Member of Parliament from 2014-18. He is currently serving as the ninth CM of the state.

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CM Rio took the chair for a third term after the 2018 state Assembly Polls, after the BJP-led NDA alliance tied up with the then newly-formed Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) winning the polls. He took the chair from T R Zeilang of the Naga Peoples' Front (NPF), who was serving as the CM.

CM Rio is one of the richest politicians in Nagaland and the second richest candidate participating in the upcoming elections. As per an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report, he has a total asset worth Rs 46 crore declared.

Born in Tuophema village in Kohima District, Rio is the son of Guolhoulie Rio and Kevilhouü and belongs to the Angami Naga tribe. After finishing his school at Baptist English School, Kohima and Sainik School Purulia, West Bengal, he attended college at St Joseph's College in Darjeeling and later from Kohima Arts College.

Having entered the field of politics at a very young, Rio was appointed the President of Kohima District UDF Youth Wing in 1974. He was later appointed the Chairman of the Northern Angami Area Council in 1984. He was also elected to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly as Congress (I) candidate from the Northern Angami-II constituency during the 7th General Elections back in 1989.

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Rio was later appointed as the Minister for Sports and School Education and subsequently as Minister for Higher & Technical Education and Art & Culture.

The next election in 1993 saw Rio getting elected from the same constituency after which he was appointed Minister for Works & Housing. He was also the state's Home Minister under the S C Jamir-led cabinet from 1998 to 2002.

After resigning from the ministry accusing the chief minister of blocking a negotiated settlement on the Naga issue, Rio joined the NPF, partnering with other Naga regionalist parties and the BJP, forming the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland. The coalition won the 2003 state elections, putting an end to the 10-year rule of the Congress. Rio was ultimately chosen for the Chief Ministerial position and took office on March 6, 2003.

He was however ousted from the position when President's rule was imposed in Nagaland in 2008. His party however emerged as the single largest party in the 2008 state polls, winning 26 of 60 seats. He retained the seat in the subsequent 2013 polls, when his party NPF, won 38 seats. In 2017, he quit NPF and founded NDPP before contesting the 2018 Assembly elections with a seat-sharing arrangement with BJP.

Political campaigns and rallies are in full swing in Nagaland as the northeastern state prepares for polling on February 27 Counting is slated to take place on March 2.