T R Zeliang

About T. R. Zeliang

T.R. Zeliang is the incumbent chief minister of Nagaland. He belongs to the Nagaland People's Front party. Zeliang has also been a Member of Parliament, representing Nagaland in the Rajya Sabha.

Early Life and Education of T.R. Zeliang

T.R. Zeliang was born on 21 February 1952 in Mbaupungwa village of Peren district to Rangleu Zeliang. T.R. Zeliang completed his schooling from Don Bosco School in Dibrugarh, Assam. He obtained his Bachelors of Arts degree from Arts College of Kohima, Nagaland.

Political Career of T.R. Zeliang

T.R. Zeliang became associated with student politics in his college days. He was the president of Zelaingrong Students Union, general secretary of Zelaingrong Action Committee and Zelaingrong Youth Organisation. He was also the president of the Peren District Youth Congress of the Indian National Congress.

T.R. Zeliang tried his luck in the 1982 and 1987 Nagaland Assembly elections from Tening assembly segment. However, he lost on both the occasions. But a long winning spree followed those losses. Zeliang contested the 1989 assembly elections on Naga People's Council's ticket and won the Tening assembly seat. Zeliang won from Tening as a Congress candidate in 1993, 1998 and 2003.

During 1989-90, T.R. Zeliang served as the Minister of State for Information and Tourism. From 1994 to 1998 he was the Minister of State for Relief and Rehabilitation. Zeliang next went on to serve as the Minister for Environment and Forests and Geology and Mining in S.C. Jamir's government during 1998-2003.

T.R. Zeliang, along with six Congress MLAs, formed the Nagaland Congress in 2003 after parting ways with the Indian National Congress. He then merged his Nagaland Congress with Naga People's Front led by Neiphiu Rio. In 2004, Zeliang was elected to the Rajya Sabha and held the seat till 2008. T.R. Zeliang was appointed as the Minister for Planning, Animal Husbandry and Parliamentary Affairs in Neiphiu Rio government in 2008. Zeliang went on to contest the 2008 and 2013 Nagaland assembly elections from Peren constituency emerging victorious.

Following Neiphiu Rio’s election to the Lok Sabha in the general elections in 2014, T.R. Zeliang was appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland on 24 May 2014.
EBPB 24.01.2015