Mizoram Youth Ensured Zoram People’s Movement’s Win

In what is being called a ‘surprise result’ of the Mizoram Assembly elections, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has paved its way to the victory, defeating its rival, the Mizo National Front (MNF). As per the Election Commission of India’s website, ZPM won 27 seats – comfortably more than the simple majority mark of 21 in the 40-member house and with a 37.9% vote share.

With a voter turnout of 88 per cent, BJP got a bare two seats, the same as in 2018, and the Congress, which ruled the state for 25 years, struggled to open its account. In comparison, the MNF had won 26 seats in the 2018 election and the Congress had won 32 and 34 seats in the 2008 and 2013 election respectively.

Mizoram has had a history of voting out the incumbent in every two elections after 1993. The state has also only been ruled by Mizo National Front (MNF) or Congress governments since 1984.

However, the trend was broken this election.

The ZPM, a new party whose candidates fought as independents in 2018 because it had been formed just one year before the election, has won the 2023 election in the state after just one term of the MNF government. While the MNF has still managed to finish second in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pushed the Congress to the fourth spot.

What is even more surprising is the defeat of Chief Minister and MNF supremo Zoramthanga. The ZMP’s leader and candidate Lalthansanga, defeated Zoramthanga by 2,101 votes in the Aizawl East-1 seat.

The factors that have led to the win of ZPM are credited towards the young candidates that the youth of Mizoram felt attracted towards.

Speaking to The Citizen, Pinky Lazui Associate Professor at Govt. Hrangbana College in Aizawl said that the results were unexpected even though there were disappointments from MNF. “The exit poll predicted them to bag 13 to 17 seats and not more than that but the end result surprisingly, which I am sure even they are,” she said.

Lazui pointed towards the fact that not only were the ZPM candidates young, but the voters also voted for them. “There is going to be a lot of expectations from ZPM, especially from the youth as this is a political party that has never come into power. Even on the candidates the pressure is going to be immense,” she said.

It is to be noted that ZPM originally formed as a seven-party alliance led by a former police officer, Lalthansanga, to power. The alliance includes Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Zoram Exodus Movement (ZEM), Zoram Decentralisation Front (ZCF), Zoram Reformation Front (ZRF) and Mizoram People’s Party (MPP).

Lalthansanga is one of the senior-most leaders of the Zoham People's Movement, and is the vice president of the six-party alliance. Lalthansanga is a former MLA who has major popularity in the Zarkawt area of Aizawl.

Before joining the ZPM alliance, Lalthansanga was a member of the Mizoram People's Conference. He was the vice president of MPC, but resigned from the party to join ZPM in 2019, soon after Zoramthanga assumed charge as the new CM of the state. He also served in the security team of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Mizoram is reeling with issues of corruption and unemployment, which is why the incumbent Zoramthanga was voted out and a party led by youth got the favour. People in Mizoram, many experts believe, want development, especially with the way technology is thriving globally. The people want the same kind of commitment in their state as well.

Experts have emphasised that the ZPM's commitment to corruption-free governance has struck a chord in Mizoram, resonating with a populace tired of political wrongdoing.

When asked what other factors could have led to MNF’s loss, Lazui averred that there was a lot of disappointment with the way they handled the covid situation.

“There could be a lot of factors for MNF loss, but I think the pandemic could be one of those. The government was not able to do much, which could be a factor,” she added.

Applauding the victory in Mizoram, Siam a lawyer based in Delhi and Manipur said that it is time for the youth to take the lead. “The ZPM has candidates as young as 33. It is time for the youths and the new generation to take the lead for the revolutionary changes that are absolutely necessary,” Siam said.

Meanwhile, there were also speculations that the violence in Manipur could also be the factor why the result was such.

Experts believe that the sentiments in Mizoram might have been heightened by the fact that most of these refugees belong to the Kuki-Zomi-Hmar tribes which share the same ethnicity as the people of Mizoram.

To this, Lazui pointed out is the major reason why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would never be able to make a mark there. It is to be noted that the MNF party had an alliance with the BJP.

For the first time in nearly four decades, after the crucial Mizoram Accord that ended a 20- year insurgency led by the MNF and brought peace to the state, a new face who is not from Congress or MNF will be in charge of the state.