Mizoram’s ZPM dumps Congress, teams with MNF to secure power in LADC
The move comes days after the Mizoram Congress ended its pre-poll alliance with the MNF and announced it would partner with the ZPM
AIZAWL: Mizoram’s ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) on Monday dumped the Congress and stitched an alliance with the Mizo National Front (MNF) to stake a claim to form the executive body in the 25-member Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC) on December 18.
The move comes days after the Mizoram Congress ended its pre-poll alliance with the MNF and announced it would partner with the ZPM in LADC. At the time, the Congress had explained its decision to attempt to engineer the defection of several elected council members.
The LADC is one of the three Sixth Schedule autonomous district councils in Mizoram that function as a self-governing body for the Lai ethnic community, handling local governance, customary laws, land management, and development activities within its jurisdiction.
The MNF emerged as the largest party with eight seats in the December 3 LADC election, followed by the Congress with seven seats, and the ZPM with six seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured two seats each, while two seats went to independent candidates.
In a joint statement issued on Monday, the ZPM and MNF said they had staked their claim to form the council’s executive body, and the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for December 18.
“The ZPM and MNF have formed the Lairam Legislature Party and unanimously elected T. Zakunga as its leader, who will become the CEM (Chief Executive Member) of the council,” the statement said. The joint statement added that the MNF would get the posts of deputy CEM and three Executive Members, while the ZPM would get five Executive Member posts.
Defections and political uncertainty have rocked Mizoram’s three autonomous district councils. The 12th LADC election has witnessed political shifts since the results were declared on December 9.
