In Mizoram, a new politics

The Mizoram assembly poll results are significant for at least three reasons. One, Aizawl will break with its tradition of having a government led either by the Mizo National Front (MNF) or the Congress for the first time since the state was formed in 1987. The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), a conglomeration of numerous groups, is a young player in politics — it came into being only in 2017.

Two, contrary to the national trend that favoured national parties, a regional outfit that emphasised its regional credentials and focussed on local issues has won. The CM face of ZPM, Lalduhoma, has announced that the outfit will not align with any national player: The MNF was a part of the Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA), an ancillary of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Three, the two national parties are down to three seats in the 40-member legislative assembly. The BJP’s vote share has fallen though it doubled its seat tally to two while the Congress, which last held office in 2018, has been reduced to just one MLA. The Congress’s performance is of a piece with the party’s general decline across the Northeast, once considered its stronghold.