Mizoram election results: Key players in the only Congress-ruled state in Northeast
Here are the key players in Mizoram Assembly polls that went to polls on November 28.
Congress
This is one state — and the last one remaining in the Northeast — which has a Congress government in power.
The first and foremost candidate to find a mention among Congress candidates is incumbent Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla.
Thanhawla will be fighting to retain his chair in the state after being in office for 10 years.
The 76-year-old leader, who has been a five-time chief minister, will be contesting the polls from Serchhip and Hrangturzo, the two seats from where he contested the 2013 Assembly elections as well.
He was chief minister of Mizoram from 1984 to 1986 and from 1989 to 1998. He was elected to another term in the 2008 Mizoram Legislative Assembly election. In 2013, he became the chief minister for the fifth time he was elected to the office. This was a record in Mizoram as well.
Lal Thanhawla has won from Serchhip, his home turf, for five times since 1984, losing only once in 1998 when the Mizo National Front candidate KThangzuala.
This time around in Serchhip, Lal Thanhwala will face C Lalramzauva of Mizo National Front (MNF), PB Lalsawmilana of Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) besides independents.
In the Harnturzo Assembly seat, he will take on sitting Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) candidate, Lalthansanga, besides candidates from ZNP, Jai Maha Bharat Party and an independent.
The Congress, in 2013, led by Thanhawla won 34 of the 40 seats in the state Assembly — that was two seats more than the 2008 election.
In this elections, the incumbent CM, while filing his nomination papers, has declared properties worth over Rs 1 crore and agricultural land valued at more than Rs 2 crore.
Among the veterans trying their luck this time are Lalrobiaka (from Dampa seat), cabinet ministers H Rohluna (Lengteng) and Lal Thanzara (Aizawl North-III). Lal Thanzara is CM Lal Thanhawla’s brother.
New faces include former IPS officer LT Hrangchal, who will contest from Chalfilh; former student leaders A Lalhmacchuana (Serlui) and Laltlansanga (Aizawl West-I).
Among all these Lalrobiaka managed to make special headlines for his rising assets — it jumped almost 24 times — in just five years as a member of the state legislative assembly.
For the 2008 Assembly polls, Lalrobiaka, in his affidavit filed before the Election Commission, put the value of his total movable and immovable assets at a little over Rs 5.81 lakh. In 2013, the 53-year-old legislator from Dampa showed his total assets at Rs 1.40 crore.
Lalrobiaka’s name is among nine MLAs of the ruling Congress mentioned in a complaint filed by the Mizoram unit of the BJP with the state anti-corruption bureau seeking a probe.
Mizo National Front
The Mizo National Front (MNF) is the principal opposition party in the state even though it won barely five seats in the last Assembly elections.
MNF's Vanlalzawma is seen as an important candidate who could give stiff competition to his opponents. Party treasurer and also a former Lok Sabha member, Vanlalzawma will contest from Aizawl West-III seat again.
President of Mizo National Front (MNF) and former chief minister, Zoramthanga, will contest from Aizawl East-I Assembly constituency. He too will be a key player in the Assembly polls. The MNF, a part of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), has announced to fight the assembly polls alone in Mizoram.
According to Zoramthanga, "We are a part of the NDA. As far as the election here in Mizoram is considered, we have a different ideology; we may sit with them together in Parliament but not here in Mizoram. Therefore, we don’t have any electoral alliance of the BJP."
BJP
Even though the BJP has made major inroads into the Northeast and its influence in the region is only growing, the saffron party has so far never won a seat in the state.
The Assembly polls in Mizoram this time around is seen as a direct contest between the Congress and the MNF. The latter is though a part of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a conglomeration of anti-Congress parties in the region.
The BJP has fielded candidates in 24 seats in the election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly.
New kid on the block - PRISM
Anti-corruption watchdog People's Right to Information and Development Implementation Society of Mizoram has renamed itself into a political party — People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram and retained its abbreviated form: PRISM.
As many as 13 candidates from PRISM are contesting the polls. Set out as a group of RTI activists, the party's primary agenda is to weed out corruption.
The PRISM has already declared that it has no aspirations to be part of any alliance after the polls to rule the state. It has been claiming that it would rather prefer to "sit in the Opposition to keep the government on its toes".
Some more mix of old and new
Apart from individual candidates, new parties too will play an important role in the elections. The Zoram Exodus Movement (ZEM), formed by retired priests, retired government officials and senior journalists, announced an alliance with the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) and the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) under the banner of Zoram People's Movement (ZPM).
The BJP, however, has managed to woo the Maraland Democratic Front (MDF) — an ally of MNF — to merge with the saffron party on October 25, along with its two members of district council (MDCs) in the Mara Autonomous District Council.
Political observers in the state believe these new parties could make a difference in the final results to be declared on December 11.
Women candidates
Out of the total 201 candidates in the state, there are 15 women candidates in the fray. Interestingly, the state has more female voters — 3,93,685 — as compared to male — 3,74,496 — out of a total 7,68,181 voters.
The BJP has fielded the highest number of women candidates — six, followed by Evangelist political party Zoram Thar with five contestants.
The Congress has fielded only one woman candidate — Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu, who is the only woman legislator in the assembly and a minister in the Lal Thanhawla cabinet. Chawngthu became the first woman minister in Mizoram since the 1987 state Assembly elections and is currently holds the fishery department portfolio.
Before her, the state had seen only one woman minister — Lalhlimpuii Hmar, who was made a minister in 1987. Chawngthu also holds the distinction of being only the fourth woman to be elected as an MLA in the history of the state.
Chawngthu will be contesting from Hrangturzo seat.
The NCP has given ticket to only one woman. While the powerful Mizo National Front (MNF) has not fielded any woman candidate for the election, two women are contesting for the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM).