MNF Faces Tough Challenge in Mizoram Assembly Elections

For more than two hours on a Saturday afternoon, a trijunction in Aizawl was transformed into an island of blue, with spectators shouting, waving, and applauding in short spurts similar to those seen during Team India cricket matches. But this wasn't a game of cricket.

Participants were members of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), who were wearing blue t-shirts and carrying the blue flag of the party. Zoramthanga, the MNF president and three-term chief minister, was scheduled to speak at the party's campaign closing event at Thuampui, which is within his constituency for Aizawl East I Assembly.

The goal for Zoramthanga is to win the constituency a second time.

Although Sunday is the official conclusion of the campaign, most parties moved it forward a day since Sunday is a holy day in Mizoram, which has a mainly Christian population.

A few hundred passionate members of the MNF attended the street-side assembly, where blue was the predominant color. For almost forty minutes, they listened intently, sometimes shouting and clapping as Zoramthanga discussed the successes and difficulties of his administration and urged further efforts.

Despite the energy and assurance on exhibit, indications from the ground indicate that the MNF is up against one of its "toughest" election campaigns.

Political analysts note that the MNF has two challenges: the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) and anti-incumbency, which often manifests itself during a second term.

One recurring theme among votersThe MNF's "unfulfilled promises" and the need of giving a new party a chance were the topics of discussion with The Telegraph, as they had "tried and tested" both the MNF and the Congress.

Following the event, Zokhuma, 59, who has been a taxi driver since leaving the Assam Rifles in 2001, claimed that the MNF had made several promises, including better roads, an elevated road to relieve traffic in Aizawl, and Rs 3 lakh for each beneficiary of its flagship Socio-economic Development Programme (SEDP) to launch their own venture.

"These promises have not been fulfilled. "People want results, not pretentious talk from our chief minister," he remarked.

Emanuel Lalngaihawma, a twenty-one-year-old parlour worker from Aizawl West I, said that the MNF has to perform better. He said that he expected the incoming administration to keep its word.

Others, however, believed that the MNF may be granted a new term due to Mizoram's tradition of granting the governing party a second term as well as the stable administration Zoramthanga, a former militant commander who is now a politician, offered.

Like the chief minister, they claim that the Covid epidemic hindered the completion of most programs and affected the state's budget.

The MNF, however, is counting on the "goodwill" created by the assistance and support it has provided to refugees from Bangladesh, Myanmar, and neighboring Manipur, as well as internally displaced persons.

According to L. Ralte, a political analyst, Zoramthanga has been seen as a “strong leader to some extent” because of the position the MNF administration took on the refugees, defying the Center’s order to force them back or forego biometrics collecting and then defending the Kuki-Zo people of Manipur.

In 2018, the MNF secured 26 out of 40 seats, while the ZPM, which was not yet recognized, secured 8 seats. With five seats, the Congress had come in a very distant third.

Election day is November 7.