Mizoram polls: ZPM names 39 nominees

Aizawl: Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) on Tuesday officially announced names of candidates for 39 seats in the Mizoram assembly polls even as the Election Commission is yet to announce the election dates.

Election to the 40-member state assembly is most likely to be held in November or first part of December.

Lalduhoma, ZPM's chief ministerial candidate, will test his fortune from Serchhip again. Lalduhoma, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984 on a Congress ticket, was disqualified by then Lok Sabha Speaker in accordance with the Anti Defection Law in 1988. He left Congress in 1986 and was disqualified after he defied the whip of the Congress Legislature Party in Parliament and voted against the Congress government.

Lalduhoma had defeated chief minister Lal Thanhawla as an Independent in the 2018 state assembly polls. However, he was disqualified by the assembly speaker Lalrinliana Sailo in November, 2020. He was re-elected with a higher margin in June, 2021 defeating the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) candidate Vanlalzawma (two-term Lok Sabha member) and PC Laltlansanga of Congress.

Well-known personalities like journalist-turned-politician and working chairman of the ZPM K Sapdanga, popular footballer Jeje Lalpekhlua, former deputy speaker of the assembly, Vanlalhlana, former vice chairman of North East Students' Organisation Lalmuanpuia Punte and popular singer Vanlalsailova are among the candidates.

The ZPM, which was formed by merging the Zoram Nationalist Party, Mizoram People's Conference Party and Zoram Exodus Movement in 2017, had bagged 8 seats in the 2018 assembly polls. The ZPM, however, lost 2 assembly seats in bypolls and retained one seat.

With the strong anti-incumbency wave going against the present MNF government and the intra-party fighting within Congress, ZPM workers are hopeful of winning the assembly polls. However, internal squabbles in the loosely united ZPM's future will depend on its ability to unify the supporters a few months after the announcement of the official candidates.


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