- Saturday, July 27, 2024
Zoram People’s Movement, an alliance comprising six parties, defeated the ruling party with the chief minister also losing from his constituency.
By: Shubham Ghosh
RESULTS of the elections held in the north-eastern Indian state of Mizoram held on November 7 were announced on Monday (4) and anti-incumbency reigned supreme there with the opposition alliance Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) crossing the halfway mark of 21 in the 40-member assembly.
The ZPM, which consists of six parties, won 21 of 40 seats and was leading in six others, according to the Election Commission of India.
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) won only seven seats and was leading in three others. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of prime minister Narendra Modi won two and the Indian National Congress one. The MNF is a constituent of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance.
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One of the top talking points of the election was the defeat of incumbent chief minister Zoramthanga whose second stint in the office came to the end as a result of the defeat. His deputy Tawnluia also lost in the election.
The ZPM, MNF and the Congress had contested in all 40 seats, while the BJP contested in 13. The Aam Aadmi Party also contested the elections in the state for the first time and fielded candidates in four seats. Seventeen Independent candidates also contested the elections.
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In the 2018 elections, the MNF won 26 seats while the ZPM won eight. The Congress won five and the BJP won one.
Even though an ally of the BJP, MNF’s relations with the saffron party have been far from smooth due to various reasons, including the violence in the neighbouring BJP-ruled state of Manipur. The Zoramthanga government’s decision to give shelter to refugees from the neighbouring Myanmar in Mizoram has also triggered controversy.
The results in Mizoram were initially scheduled to be published on Sunday (3) along with those in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana but was later deferred by a day by the commission since Sunday is a day of prayers for the Christian-majority state.
The BJP had a field day on Sunday as it won three states — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — all located in the Hindi heartland, while the Congress won Telangana.
