Nagaland JDU nominee Kitoho S Rotokha quits party, joins LJP

DIMAPUR: In a major jolt to JDU in Nagaland ahead of the assembly elections, Kitoho S Rotokha, the JDU candidate for Ghaspani II constituency, quit the party on Friday morning and joined the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) in the evening.
A statement issued by Rotokha and other former leaders of the party said the state executive bearers of JDU Nagaland, led by general secretary Imsumongba Pongen, at an emergency meeting on Thursday unanimously resolved to resign en masse from the primary and active membership of the party as they have lost confidence on state unit president Lotha.
However, a statement issued by JDU national general secretary Afaque Ahmed Khan said the state executive party meeting was unauthorised and not headed by general secretary Pongen as he is very much part of JDU in Nagaland. It said other than Rotokha, the other so-called state executives do not have the approval of JDU national office and their appointments are therefore invalid and can be termed as bogus.
Khan added that JDU has expelled Rotokha and condemned his anti-party activities.
Addressing the media on Friday morning, Rotokha, who was the secretary general of Nagaland JDU, said though it was painful, the political circumstances and situation in the state JDU compelled him to quit the party. He accused state unit president Lotha of acting in an autocratic manner without taking a collective decision.