Zoramthanga, the outgoing chief minister of Mizoram, has resigned as the president of the Mizo National Front (MNF) after leading the party for 33 years. This decision comes in the wake of the party’s defeat in the recent assembly polls. Despite exit polls predicting a hung house in Mizoram, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), a relatively new political party, emerged victorious by securing 27 out of the 40 assembly constituencies in the state. In contrast, the MNF only managed to win 10 seats, a significant drop from their previous tally of 26 in the 2018 assembly polls.
Zoramthanga expressed his moral responsibility for the party’s poor performance in a resignation letter addressed to MNF senior vice president Tawnluia. He stated, “The MNF failed to win the state assembly polls. In this regard, I take moral responsibility as party chief. Considering that it is my obligation as the MNF president, I do hereby tender resignation from the president post and kindly request you to accept the same.” The 79-year-old leader had held the position of MNF president since 1990, succeeding Laldenga.
It remains to be seen whether the party will accept Zoramthanga’s resignation. An MNF leader disclosed that a meeting will be held on Wednesday to discuss and decide on this matter. Furthermore, Zoramthanga himself suffered a personal defeat in the elections, losing his Aizawl East-I seat to ZPM vice president Lalthansanga by a margin of 2,101 votes.
Overall, Zoramthanga’s resignation marks the end of an era for the MNF, and the party now faces the challenge of regrouping and strategizing for the future.
