Mizoram verdict

THE Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), a six-party alliance headed by IPS officer-turned-politician Lalduhoma, has wrested power from the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram. The ZPM’s emphatic victory (27 seats out of 40) in the Assembly elections signals a new dawn for the northeastern state, which has witnessed the rule of the MNF or the Congress over the decades. The MNF wilted in the face of strong anti-incumbency, with both Chief Minister Zoramthanga and Deputy CM Tawnluia losing their seats.

The outcome has given another jolt to the beleaguered Congress, a day after it suffered stunning reversals in the Hindi heartland. The party’s footprint in the North-East has shrunk sharply in recent years. In the 2018 elections, five seats had gone into the Congress’ kitty, while the BJP had managed to win one. This time, the BJP has rubbed salt into the Congress’ wounds by winning two seats, one more than the grand old party, which was once a force to reckon with in the state. The BJP, which has been making rapid strides in the North-East, has announced that it will be part of the new dispensation, even though it’s the MNF (not the ZPM) which is a constituent of the BJP-led NDA. Notably, Mizoram is the only northeastern state where the BJP is not in power at present on its own or as an alliance partner.

Mizoram is facing a slew of problems. It is in the throes of a financial crisis. The authorities are also grappling with the influx of refugees from Myanmar, where a civil war has been going on for the past two-and-a-half years. Besides, the volatile situation in the neighbouring BJP-ruled state of Manipur, where ethnic clashes erupted in May, has kept Mizoram on tenterhooks. The new government certainly has its work cut out.