One day after the Gauhati High Court dismissed his petition against the Governor’s directive to take a floor test, Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu and his supporters failed to turn up for the special emergent session of the state assembly in Kohima on Wednesday morning, even as his opponents described it as an act of conceding defeat.

While the House was called to order at 9:30 am on Wednesday in consonance with governor PB Acharya’s directive issued on Tuesday evening, Chief Minister Liezietsu and eleven legislators of Naga People’s Front (NPF), who are on his side, failed to show up. Forty-seven other legislators, including four BJP and seven Independents, were however present, waiting for the chief minister to propose a floor test.

A few minutes after calling the House to order, Speaker Imtiwapang announced adjournment of the House in view of the absence of the chief minister who was supposed to move the motion seeking confidence of the House. Later, Speaker Imtiwapang rushed to Raj Bhavan to submit his report on the proceedings of the House to the governor. The contents of his report were not immediately known.

The Zeliang camp, which clearly had 47 legislators of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) – comprising of 36 NPF, four BJP and seven Independent MLAs – however was upbeat, and demanded immediate resignation or dismissal of the government headed by Shurhozelie Liezietsu. “It is absolutely clear now. Shurhozelie does not even have the moral courage to seek a trust vote in the Assembly,” a legislator close to former chief minister Zeliang said.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Naga People’s Front (NPF), whose President is Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu, announced its decision to sever ties with the BJP and pull out of the DAN. This also made clear the division in the NPF, with the Zeliang faction siding with the BJP along with the seven Independent MLAs..