The BJP contested 20 seats in Nagaland, and left the rest to its ally - the NDPP, led by three-time Chief Minister Neipheu Rio, who formed the party after quitting NPF last year. The powerful NPF snapped its 15-year-old ties with the BJP, which decided to go with Mr Rio, who had the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. But there is room for a post-poll alliance.