The exit poll results of Mizoram yesterday indicated hung assembly, with most pollsters and election experts predicting neck-and-neck contest between BJP-led NDA ally Mizo National Front (MNF) and Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM).
Despite ethnic tensions in Manipur, ‘guerrilla’ CM Zoramthanga is hopeful that his party’s support to give shelter to some Kuki-Zo community members from the neighbouring state will be acknowledged by the people. MNF has tried pitching ‘Zo unification’ as its election pitch.
ZPM, which is predicted by some pollsters to emerge as winner in this year’s state elections, actively participated in the electoral battle and has nominated its founder and president Lalduhoma as its chief ministerial candidate.
Who is the CM Hopeful of Mizoram?
Lalduhoma is the 74-year-old former IPS officer, whose political journey began in 1984 when he was elected to the Lok Sabha. He became the first MP to face disqualification under the anti-defection law.
His IPS career involved serving as squad leader in Goa, where he led crackdowns on smugglers. He gained national attention when he was made security in charge of then PM Indira Gandhi, leading to his transfer to New Delhi in 1982.
Lalduhoma founded the ZPM, and was chosen the first CM candidate of the ZNP-led ZPM coalition in the 2018 assembly elections.
He was disqualified as MP in 2020, but he made his foray back into politics by winning re-election from Serchhip in a bye-election in 2021.
About Mizoram CM & Former Guerrilla
Before holding the reins of the state, Zoramthanga was the deputy of Laldenga – the Mizo leader and chief of Mizo National Front (MNF), which carried out secessionist movement.
Zoramthanga spent most of his life escaping from the Indian government, by criss-crossing across Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China.
In his book MILARI, Zoramthanga writes about how he escaped the hill tracts of Chittagong in 1972 during the Bangladesh war, which took him to Yangon and then Karachi and Islamabad; his meeting with Pakistan PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1975, and his “secret” mission with Laldenga in China where they met Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
After the peace accord in 1986 signed between MNF and the Indian government, Zoramthanga was appointed as minister in Laldenga’s cabinet for nearly six months. He held finance and education portfolios in 1987.
He led the party after the death of chief Laldenga in 1990. MNF won elections in 1998 under Zoramthanga, who then became the CM for the first time.
The counting of votes for the 40-seat Mizoram assembly will take place on December 3.
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