BJP's success in Mizoram council polls gets ruling MNF, Cong worried

Mizoram, once a Congress bastion, is now ruled by the Mizo National Front (MNF) while the BJP is gradually becoming a strong political force in the Christian-dominated mountainous state.

Underground outfit turned political party, the MNF, now a constituent of the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), has won assembly polls in Mizoram in 1987, 1998, 2003 and 2018 while the Congress was victorious in the remaining assembly elections - 2013, 2008, 1993, and 1989.

In 1993, veteran Congress leader Lal Thanhawla led a coalition government with the Janata Dal.

In 1998, the MNF led by party president Zoramthanga won the election but formed a coalition government with the Mizo People's Conference. However, the local party severed ties with the government within a short period.

Congress stalwart Lal Thanhawla, who had won all the assembly polls barring in 1998 and 2018, was the Chief Minister of all the four Congress led governments in Mizoram.

Lal Thanhawla, who was Chief Minister during the 2018 assembly polls, lost from both his home turf Serchhip and Champhai South in that election.

Since 1973, Lal Thanhawla, a close friend of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi, has also been the Congress party's state president, leading its government four times, out of which two terms were in a row.

It was only in 1998 that Lal Thanhawla lost from Serchip, his first and only loss in an assembly poll since 1973.

The 86-year-old retired from politics in November 2021 and announced not to contest the next assembly elections due this year end.

With strong regional political settings, the MNF as a state party has a strong base across the bordering state. The party captured the ground lost by the Congress, which politically dominated the state for over four decades.

After the Congress ceded ground in most of the northeastern states, including Christian and tribal dominated Mizoram, the BJP is gradually becoming a strong political force.

The BJP by putting up candidates in 8 to 15 seats started unsuccessfully contesting the elections to the 40-member Mizoram assembly since 1993 but could not open its account until 2013.

The saffron party secured 3.11 per cent votes in the 1993 polls and since then it has gradually increased its vote share.

In the last assembly polls in 2018, the BJP fielded candidates on 39 seats but won only one seat managing 8.09 per cent votes.

Opening its account for the first time in the 40-member Mizoram Assembly, BJP MLA Buddha Dhan Chakma was elected to the state assembly from the Tuichawng assembly seat in the 2018 elections.

Since the last Assembly elections in 2018, the BJP has been playing the minority card which has seen positive electoral outcomes in elections to the Autonomous District Councils during the past year.

Ahead of the next assembly elections this year end and before the next year's Lok Sabha polls, the BJP's success in the recent elections to the tribal autonomous district councils, got the Congress and the local parties including the ruling MNF, worried while boosting the saffron party's confidence.

The BJP last month for the first time swept the elections to the Village Councils (VCs) under the Mara Autonomous District Council.

The BJP won the majority of the seats in 41 of the 99 VCs while the ruling MNF secured a majority in 25 VCs. The Congress and the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) got a majority in eight and two VCs respectively while independent candidates won one VC while there is no clear majority in 22 VCs.

Of the total 492 Village Council seats, the BJP won 232 seats, the MNF managed 127 seats, the Congress bagged seats in the April 18 elections to the Village Councils under MADC.

In May last year, the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 25-member Mara Autonomous District Council polls in south Mizoram's Siaha district. It won 12 seats, one seat short of getting an absolute majority.

Like Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, for the overall socio-economic development of different tribal communities, Mizoram has three tribal autonomous bodies -- Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC), Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) and the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC).

Besides the MNF, Congress and the BJP, the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), which secured eight seats and 22.94 per cent votes share out of 35 seats it contested in the 2018 assembly polls, would be a big challenger to the other parties in the next assembly polls, due in November-December this year.

The ZPM, meaning hill people's movement, was formed with the amalgamation of several movement-based outfits.

ZPM working president K Sapdanga is also very confident about the party's prospects in the next assembly polls .

"We are reforming our party organisation on a regular basis and maintaining transparency so that the confidence of the people in our party remains intact.

"We are advocating for an effective ban on liquor consumption. We do not believe in the distribution of money in the name of development. Cash offer breeds corruption," the ZPM leader said.

ZPM president Lalliansawta claimed after the results of the recent ADC elections, it was obvious that people wanted an alternative.