By Sagarneel Sinha
Mizoram, with one of the highest literacy rates in the country, goes to polls on November 28. The state, which has a legislature comprising of 40 seats, is the last surviving bastion of the Congress party in the north-eastern region. The party is in power for the last 10 years with Lal Thanhawla as the Chief Minister. He is one of the tallest leaders in the state who became Chief Minister for the fifth time in 2013. The party is aware that this time the battle is hard as it is fighting 10 years’ anti-incumbency. In the last elections, Congress won a thumping majority in the assembly getting 34 seats with 44.6 per cent votes.
In the state’s election history, no party has ever been elected for a consecutive third term. Traditionally, the power in Mizoram ping-pongs between the Congress and the Mizo National Front (MNF). The main opposition MNF led by former Chief Minister Zoramthanga is very optimistic that the voters of the state will bid bye-bye to the Lalthanhawla led Congress government from the state.
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is banking on development and welfare schemes like the New Land Use Policy (NLUP) initiated by its own government. The government’s flagship scheme, started in 2008, which provided Rs 1 lakh in installments to families of farmers, small businessmen and small industrialists, according to reports, has been successful as around 76 per cent of the households of the state benefited from NLUP scheme. This time, the Congress has preferred to give tickets to youth over the old leaders. The party is also expecting to reap benefits from its decision to stand with the NGOs backed by the Church of Mizoram for demanding that Brus — the minorities who are living as refugees in neighbour Tripura, should vote in Mizoram. The demand got a big support from the majority Mizo community with the Election Commission of India removing S.B. Shashank as the Chief Election Commissioner of Mizoram who preferred voting of Brus from the refugee camps of Tripura.
It is to be noted that Mizoram is a Christian state with 87.1 per cent being Christians and the Church always has a say in all matters related to the state. Lal Thanhawla led Congress government has ended the 18 years’ prohibition of liquor consumption in the state going against the wishes of the Church. Adding to its worries, the main opposition MNF led by Zoramthanga has promised to reinforce the liquor ban if voted to power. Another major worry for the Congress is the defection of party leaders to the opposition camps ahead of the elections. Former party vice president and state home minister R Lalzirliana and party’s legislator Lalrinliana Sailo, also a former minister left the party to join the MNF. The party received more jolts with senior Congress leader Hiphei, also the speaker of the outgoing assembly and another former minister Budha Dan Chakma joining the BJP — a party which was before considered as a low player in the state.
Unemployment and poor infrastructure are also the key issues of this election which many believe will hurt the prospects of the Congress. So, the Congress is rather vigorously highlighting MNF’s hidden relation with the BJP — which the party terms as an anti-Christian party. The party even published a leaflet of 50,000 copies in Mizo language with putting on a front picture of Zoramthanga and BJP chief Amit Shah sitting together. It is to be noted that MNF is a member of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a conglomerate of anti-Congress parties led by the BJP. Congress’ campaign has propelled MNF to openly declare that it will not ally with the saffron party, although Zoramthanga maintains that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a good leader. His statement clearly indicates that MNF hasn’t closed the doors of post-poll alliance with the saffron party. Also, MNF is highlighting Congress’ alliance with the BJP in the Chakma Autonomous District Council in April. However, later in October, the grand old party walked out of the coalition to focus on the majority Christian votes. So, the Congress strategy to boost itself as a pro-Christian party by projecting close relationship between MNF and “Hindutva” BJP to retain its only bastion in the northeastern region works or not will only be known only on December 11. (IPA Service)
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