Dimapur, July 13: In a last ditch effort to resolve the intra-party crisis, the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) today revoked the suspension of 10 of its rebel legislators and the lone Lok Sabha member from the state, Neiphiu Rio. But the effort was not enough to bail chief minister Shürhozelie Liezietsu out of a constitutional crisis in the wake of governor P.B. Acharya's instruction to prove his strength in the Nagaland Assembly.

In a statement, Acharya tonight insisted that Liezietsu would have to face the trust vote in the Assembly by July 15.

"In a letter addressed to the chief minister on July 13, 2017, the governor stated that the reply of the chief minister, wherein he refused to summon a session of the Legislative Assembly, did not seem justified. Governor Acharya stated that the chief minister did not refute the claims of T.R. Zeliang that he enjoys the support of 44 MLAs in a House of 59. The governor said that the question was not of 'this issue' being an internal party matter of the NPF but whether the chief minister enjoyed the support of the majority of the members of the House or not. #The governor further mentioned that from the material available to him, it prima facie appeared that the chief minister has lost the support of the majority of the members of the House and, therefore, requested the chief minister to call an emergent session of the Assembly to prove his majority on the floor of the House as early as possible," a statement from the Raj Bhavan in Kohima said.

Liezietsu was asked to prove his majority in the Assembly after his predecessor Zeliang staked claim to form the government with the support of 34 NPF legislators and seven Independents.

The House of 60 is one short following the resignation of the chief minister's son Khriehu Liezietsu, who vacated the Northern Angami I seat for his father to be elected in a byelection slated for July 29.

The decision to revoke the suspension of the MLAs followed a meeting of the NPF Legislature Party along with the NPF central leaders at the chief minister's residential office in Kohima this evening.

The working president of the NPF, Apong Pongener, said: "The consultative meeting decided to withdraw the suspensions of the 10 NPF MLAs who were suspended from the party on July 8 and MP Neiphiu Rio who was suspended on May 17 last year."

"The present situation is an internal crisis of the NPF and, as such, this decision is taken to reiterate the party's effort to bring about a reconciliation and better understanding for the sake of the party and in the larger interest of the Nagas," he added.

Liezietsu, who heads the party as the president, had suspended 10 party legislators, including former chief minister Zeliang. The other party MLAs were Y. Patton, C. Kipili Sangtam, G. Kaito Aye, Imkong L. Imchen, Shetoyi, Nuklutoshi, Deo Nukhu, Naiba Konyak and Benjongliba Aier.

Zeliang and Nuklutoshi were advisers to the chief minister with cabinet rank while Patton, Sangtam, Kaito and Imchen were cabinet ministers. Shetoyi, Nukhu, Konyak and Aier were all parliamentary secretaries.