India News | Mizoram: Underground Leader Turned CM Zoramthanga Fails to Repeat Back-to-back Magic
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Mizo National Front (MNF) president Zoramthanga, who had become the chief minister of Mizoram from an underground leader, has failed to repeat the performances of 1998 and 2003 when he steered his party to back-to-back victories and reached the helm of the government.
Aizawl, Dec 4 (PTI) Mizo National Front (MNF) president Zoramthanga, who had become the chief minister of Mizoram from an underground leader, has failed to repeat the performances of 1998 and 2003 when he steered his party to back-to-back victories and reached the helm of the government.
The MNF has been ruling the northeastern state since 2018 but beat the dust five years later.
The party had won 26 seats in the 40-member House in 2018 while it managed to bag only 10 this time, as the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), a party registered only four years ago, swept the elections securing 27 seats.
The close aide of the erstwhile underground MNF chief Laldenga led the party to victory in 1998 and 2003 and was the chief minister of the state. In the next elections in 2008, Zoramthanga lost to Congress candidates from two constituencies Champhai North and Champhai South.
The 79-year-old outgoing chief minister was defeated in 2023 in the Aizawl East-I constituency by a ZPM nominee. Besides the Congress, the MNF president had faced challenges from the fledgling ZPM and the BJP this year.
Having a chequered career as a politician, Zoramthanga has been fighting Assembly elections since 1979.
Zoramthanga joined the underground MNF while waiting for the results of his undergraduate examination in 1966 when the organisation was headed by Laldenga. He came to know that he had graduated with English honours while in the jungle with other MNF cadres.
He was appointed Laldenga's secretary three years later and became vice president of MNF in 1979. In the same year, he was also appointed vice president of the 'Mizoram government-in-exile'.
Zoramthanga accompanied Laldenga to Pakistan and Europe while the MNF was holding talks with the Indian government and was actively involved in the peace parleys.
After the peace accord signed on June 30, 1986, between the MNF and the Centre, he was inducted as a cabinet minister in the interim government headed by Laldenga for six months.
Zoramthanga was elected from the Champhai constituency when the first election to the Mizoram assembly was held in February 1987. In 1988, President's rule was imposed in the state due to defection by several MNF legislators.
After the death of Laldenga due to lung cancer on July 7 1990, Zoramthanga was elected as the MNF president, the post which he still holds.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)