AIZAWL, Oct 10: Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga, who is
also the president of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF),
on Tuesday exuded confidence that his party, which he said
has been “baptised with martyrs’ blood”, will retain power in
the upcoming assembly elections.
The veteran politician was referring to the bloody 20-year-
long insurgency period when the MNF was an armed outfit,
before finally returning to the mainstream in 1986 with the
signing of the Mizo Peace Accord and becoming a political
party.
Elections to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly will be held
in a single phase on November 7 and votes polled will be
counted on December 3.
Taking to his official Instagram handle, Zoramthanga said the
“MNF is preparing to govern and serve the people in the next
term”.
“We are confident that we will retain power with the help of
the Almighty. We will continue to stand for our God and our
state. We are preparing to continue the task of serving the
people of our state,” he said.
The MNF president asserted that the party belongs to the
Mizos and it has been “baptised with the martyrs’ blood”.
“We are the torchbearers of Mizo nationalism, which is
crucial for the safeguard of Mizoram. We have stood firm for
more than 62 years now…,” he said, adding that the Almighty
has continued to lead the party amid several adversities.
Battle-lines have been drawn for a triangular fight in the
assembly polls between MNF, Zoram People’s Movement
(ZPM) and the Congress.
All the three political parties have decided to contest all the
40 seats.
While the MNF has already announced the names of its 40
candidates, of whom 25 are sitting MLAs, the ZPM has
released the list of 39 candidates and is yet to field a
nominee in Chakma-dominated Tuichawng seat.
The Congress and the BJP will also contest all the seats but
they are yet to announce the names of the candidates.
The emergence of the ZPM, which was formed in 2017, has
changed the political landscape of the state, which for the
last three decades has seen electoral contest between the
MNF and the Congress after Mizoram attained statehood in
1987.
The ZPM, under the leadership of its chief ministerial
candidate Lalduhoma, a former IPS officer, is advocating for
change, and is now the main rival of the ruling MNF as the
Congress is struggling with internal squabbles.
The ruling MNF is banking on Mizo sub-nationalism, calling
for unity among Zo ethnic tribes, and raising the issue of
displacement of Zo refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh
and internally displaced people (IDPs) from neighbouring
Manipur, where they are identified as Kukis.
In the last assembly polls held in November 2018, the MNF
had secured 26 seats, while the ZPM had bagged eight with
Lalduhoma winning two seats. The Congress had won five
seats and the BJP one.
Later, the MNF won two assembly by-elections, snatching the
seats from the ZPM. (PTI)
