BJP-Cong ‘alliance’ gets governor’s nod

GUWAHATI: A Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance? Strange as it may sound, that’s what’s happening a tribal body in Mizoram while the two parties are fighting tooth and nail in the rest of the country.

Elections on April 20 to the 19 of the 20 seats of the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) delivered a hung result.

So, those elected from the rival parties decided to form an alliance, even naming it United Legislature Party (ULP), to keep the Mizo National Front (MNF) out.

The alliance has staked claim to rule the council after the Congress extended unconditional support to the BJP. On Wednesday, governor Nirbhay Sharma approved the new council which would be headed by Santi Jiban Chakma of the BJP as the chief executive member.

“The governor has approved this coalition and they will be sworn in the next couple of days,” Rodney L Ralte, secretary, district council affairs department said.

The BJP has five members in the newly elected council, while the Congress has six.

The MNF, on the other hand, won eight seats but stands defeated before the unlikely alliance. It has demanded a floor test.

The BJP said the Congress members of the district council were supporting the alliance in their individual capacity.

“It is not the Congress which is supporting,” JV Hluna, president of the Mizoram state unit of the BJP said.

Not just the chief executive member, all the other executive members would be from the BJP,” he said, explaining the understanding.

Mizoram’s sports minister and Congress leader Zodintluanga, however, said, “It is a coalition of different political parties like the UPA or the NDA and the Congress members too will share the posts in the council,” he explained.