The electoral battle in Mizoram is heating up between two men with contrasting backgrounds. One is a former insurgent group leader, while the other is a former police officer who served as the security in-charge of ex-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Lalduhoma, a 74-year-old former IPS officer, founded the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) by merging six parties to challenge Zoramthanga, the Chief Minister who once fought as a guerrilla against the Indian military before entering politics. According to an NDTV poll of polls, the ZPM is projected to secure at least 17 seats, while the Congress is expected to win seven seats in the 40-member Mizoram assembly. The Mizo National Front (MNF), led by Zoramthanga, is predicted to obtain 14 seats.
These numbers suggest that there will be no clear winner in the Mizoram assembly election. Initial exit polls by Jan Ki Baat indicate that the ZPM may secure anywhere between 15 and 25 seats, followed by the MNF with 10 to 14 seats.
Lalduhoma has a controversial political history, as he was the first MP to be disqualified from the Lok Sabha under an anti-defection law in 1988. Later, he also became the first MLA to be disqualified from the Mizoram assembly in November 2020. The ZPM has promised to bring a much-needed change to Mizoram, criticizing Zoramthanga’s policies for hindering the state’s development.
Meanwhile, the Congress has accused the BJP and the ZPM of potentially forming an alliance if a hung assembly occurs. In the previous election, the ZPM emerged as the second-largest party in Mizoram by winning eight seats in the 40-member assembly.
Zoramthanga, a three-time Chief Minister at the age of 79, has not only provided shelter to thousands of internally displaced Kuki tribes from Manipur and Myanmar but has also opposed the BJP government in Manipur led by N Biren Singh. Despite being an ally of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Zoramthanga has openly offered refuge to around 40,000 refugees fleeing from Myanmar’s junta rule, citing familial ties with the Chin-Kuki tribes.
Zoramthanga has experienced both victories and defeats in previous elections. However, this time he faces a challenging four-way electoral battle with numerous parties in the fray. The Chief Minister remains optimistic, believing that his stance on the Manipur issue will benefit his party. The MNF was founded by Laldenga, who fought a two-decade-long guerilla war for the independence of a sovereign Mizo nation before signing a peace agreement in 1986. Zoramthanga took over as the MNF chief after Laldenga’s death in 1990. Although the party lost the 1993 assembly election to the Congress, Zoramthanga won from the Champhai seat and became the Leader of Opposition in the assembly. He first became Chief Minister in 1998 after the MNF won the state election. Since then, power in Mizoram has alternated between the Congress and the MNF.
