Aizawl, Oct 02: The Mizo National Front (MNF), the ruling party in Mizoram, is gearing up for the upcoming elections to the 40-member Mizoram legislative assembly, which is expected to take place in approximately two months. The party is poised to announce its candidates for the elections on Wednesday, according to a member of the party’s nomination committee.
While the final candidate for the Chalfilh assembly constituency had not been confirmed as of Sunday, the nomination committee member expressed optimism that the candidate’s name would be announced by Wednesday.
In the previous election in 2018, Assembly Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo emerged victorious in the Chalfilh constituency. However, it is likely that he will not be nominated by the ruling MNF this time due to his controversial statement supporting the MNF’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which incurred the displeasure of the party leadership.
The MNF had previously declared its intention to contest all 40 assembly seats.
Also Read: Assam CM Himanta Sarma: BJP Doesn’t Seek ‘Miya’ Votes for 10 Years Unless Reforms Are Made
Apart from Home Minister Lalchamliana, who has already announced his candidacy for the elections, the other 25 incumbent legislators are expected to contest the upcoming polls, including Dr. K. Beichhua, a former Minister of State who was expelled from the party for alleged “anti-party activities,” and Sailo.
In contrast, the Congress party has announced candidates for all 40 seats, while the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has unveiled its nominees for 39 seats and is anticipated to announce the remaining candidate names within the week.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which initially declared its intention to contest all 40 seats, has yet to reveal the names of any of its candidates.
With the three major parties announcing their candidates, it is expected that a total of six women candidates will contest the upcoming polls, with two female nominees from each of the three parties. However, the BJP may field additional women candidates when the state unit announces its candidate roster.
Currently, there are no female legislators in the state legislature. The MNF holds 28 seats, while the ZPM and Congress have 6 and 5 seats, respectively, and the BJP has one MLA. The BJP secured its first-ever victory in the Christian-dominated state in 2018 when its candidate, former Minister Dr. B.D. Chakma, who was previously affiliated with the Congress party, was elected.
