Aizawl, Oct 11: Mizoram Legislative Assembly Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo tendered his resignation as Speaker and legislator on Wednesday and announced his intention to join the BJP.
The resignation letter, addressed to Deputy Speaker H. Biakzauva was handed over by Sailo to Assembly Secretary LalhmahruaiaZote in the absence of Biakzauva. He was accompanied by leaders of the state BJP unit while tendering his resignation.
Sailo is the eighth legislator to resign ahead of the election to the 40-member state legislative assembly, scheduled to be held on November 7. He made the decision to resign after he was denied a party ticket in the coming assembly polls by the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF).
BJP sources said that he will be inducted into the party on Thursday in the presence of a number of central leaders of the saffron party.
Talking to journalists after submitting his resignation letter, he said that he intends to join the BJP to salvage the acute financial crisis being faced by the Mizoram government as well as take over the lone Zoram Medical College (ZMC) by the central government.
“I appealed to the central BJP leaders to ensure taking over of the ZMC by the central government as a condition of joining the BJP and they made the promise,” he said, adding that he wants to join the saffron party for the development of the state.
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Though there had been discussion about the assembly from where he will contest in the coming assembly polls, the final decision will be made by the party leaders, he said.
MNF denied a party ticket to Sailo after he publicly said that he wanted the MNF party to merge with the BJP. The MNF, though a constituent of the BJP-led NDA, does not form an electoral alliance with the saffron party in state politics resulting in the lone BJP legislator Dr. B.D. Chakma sitting on the opposition bench in the state legislature. The BJP is still a political pariah in the Christian-dominated state.
Earlier, 7 legislators have resigned during the run-up of assembly elections.
Congress MLA K.T. Rokhaw, elected from Palak seat in the 2018 assembly polls resigned as legislator on October 3 and joined the MNF a day later to contest from the same constituency on MNF ticket.
Former Minister of State Dr. K. Beichhua, who resigned as a minister on December 12, 2022, and was expelled from the party due to ‘anti-party activities’ also resigned as MLA on October 6 and joined the BJP on the same day. He is all set to contest from Siaha assembly seat, his home turf as the candidate of the saffron party.
On Wednesday, excepting their leader Lalduhoma, five legislators elected in the 2018 elections as independents, resigned en masse on Tuesday to contest the coming polls as candidates of the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM).
The five MLAs contested the 2018 state assembly elections as a group of independent as the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) was not yet registered with the election Commission of India. Though they were accepted in the state assembly as members of the Zo People’s Movement legislature party, contesting the coming polls as ZPM, a registered party now, can invite disqualification.
The independent legislators who resigned on Tuesday are V.L. Zaithanzama, Aizawl West – III, Dr. Vanlalthlana, Aizawl North – II, Lalchhuanthanga, Aizawl South – II, C. Lalsawivunga, AizawlSouth – I and Vanlalhlana, Aizawl North – I.
ZPM leader and Chief Ministerial candidate of the party in 2018 Lalduhoma, however, was re-elected from his Serchhip constituency in 2021 by contesting asZPM official candidate, after the ZPM was registered as a political party in 2019, does not need to resign.
