Zoramthanga’s CM hope: 10 yrs in making
AIZAWL: The Mizo National Front (MNF) and its president, Zoramthanga, made a spectacular comeback in Mizoram on Tuesday, uprooting the Congress in its last bastion in the Northeast after 10 years.
The regional outfit, which was in power twice between 1998 and 2008, won 26 of the 40 assembly seats. In 2008, it had won three seats and in 2013 five seats, losing both times to the Congress.
But on Tuesday, Zoramthanga’s party scored a comprehensive victory. The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) won eight seats and the Congress five seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won one seat.
“I had been predicting all along that we will win at least 25 seats. Fortunately, I was proved right. I am really grateful to the voters. This victory has been made possible by the grace of God and the will of the people,” a beaming Zoramthanga, 74, told Hindustan Times at his residence.
“The voters rejected the Congress because of financial mismanagement, lack of development and for allowing the sale of liquor in the state,” he added.
Later in the day, Zoramthanga was elected the MNF’S legislature party leader. Along with a party delegation, he met Mizoram governor K Rajasekharan in the evening to stake his claim for forming the government.
The new government is likely to be sworn in on Saturday.
Earlier, outgoing chief minister Lal Thanhawla, who had been in power since 2008, submitted his resignation to the governor.
A vocal opponent of the previous Congress government’s decision to allow liquor sale in the state three years ago, Zoram- thanga said introducing prohibition would be his government’s top priority.
“As promised to voters, there will be a total ban on sale of liquor. It will be our topmost priority. This would be followed by all-round development, mainly of roads, and overall socio-economic development of the people,” he said.
The chief minister-designate said his government would scrap two flagship programmes of the Congress -- the New Land Use Policy (NLUP) and the New Economic Development Policy (NEDP) — and introduce a new Socio-economic Development Programme (SEDP).
Though MNF is a constituent of the Bjp-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre and is also part of the Bjp-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), both the MNF and the BJP contested independently.
“Any decision on continuing our association with the NDA and NEDA will be taken by the party head office. BJP has no place in Mizoram. It is a Christian state and has a very complex society,” Zoramthanga said.
Reacting to the poll outcome, senior Congress leader and Mizoram MP CL Ruala said, “Our poor show was the outcome of anti-incumbency. Improper distribution of tickets and five of our MLAS leaving the party ahead of the polls also played a part.”