Mukherjee won the election on 19 July 2012. When the "Nagaland Post" asked the Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio, if the support extended to the presidential candidate was also "issue based" as the NPF-led DAN was supporting the UPA government at the centre on the same line, the Chief Minister said that his party was supporting the UPA and hence it was the right perspective that the DAN legislators also support UPA’s presidential nominee. NPF's main opposition in the legislative assembly is the Indian National Congress party.