New Mizoram CM Zoramthanga's journey from the wilderness to the top

After the death of separatist leader Laldenga due to lung cancer in 1990, Zoramthanga was elected as MNF party chief, a post he continues to hold. He will now lead Mizoram for the third time as CM

So Lal Thanhawla has been voted out. After being chief minister five times, it must feel strange to be in the Opposition. It is Zoramthanga, a lieutenant of separatist leader Laldenga, who has become chief minister.

There is a reason Lal Thanhawla had posted so many victories for the Congress in Mizoram.  

During the 11th Plan, Mizoram achieved 11 per cent growth (agriculture 7.3 per cent;  industry 12.3 per cent and services 11.2 per cent) as against the 11th plan growth target of 8 per cent. Higher growth should be attributed to the performance of agriculture and allied sectors and this, in turn, had entirely to do with the efficient implementation of the New Land Use Policy (NLUP) in the state during the plan period. The growth rate in the 9th Plan was 5.7 per cent and in the 10th Plan was  7.1 per cent. The state grew 12 per cent between 2013 and 2016. It has India’s second-best health indicators and third-best literacy rate.

The crux of the NLUP scheme was: Farmers were given Rs 100,000 per family to abandon jhum cultivation and take up a new mode to eke out a living. Lal Thanhawla was rewarded by the people for improving their lifestyle. He added some sweeteners: Three AstroTurf football and hockey grounds each and two floodlit sports grounds. In Mizoram, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are gods. Mizoram has been affectionate about the Congress: It was Rajiv Gandhi who brought peace to the Lushai Hills by forging the Mizo Accord, which ironically saw Lal Thanhawla bow out of the race for chief ministership because his rivals made that the condition for laying down arms.

But now with the Bharatiya Janata Party in  power at the Centre and with the help of Assam BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav, Zoramthanga became a founding member of the North East Democratic Alliance. The Zoramthanga-led MNF supports the BJP-led NDA at the Centre but fought the Assembly polls alone. His campaign planks were lack of development and corruption.  

Zoramthanga has been chief minister of Mizoram twice. He was also former underground leader. The MNF, led by Laldenga, declared ‘independence’ from the Indian Union on March 1, 1966. Zoramthanga  was appointed secretary to MNF president Laldenga in 1969 and was appointed vice-president of the ‘Mizoram government-in-exile’ in 1979 as well as vice-president of the MNF.  He was actively involved in the peace parleys with the Indian government.

After the peace accord, signed on June 30, 1986, between the MNF and the Indian government, he was inducted as a minister in the interim government headed by Laldenga for six months.

A group of independent candidates under the MNF umbrella contested for the 40-member Mizoram legislature for the first time in 1987 Assembly polls — 24 of them were elected, including Zoramthanga.

Mizoram was placed under President’s Rule in the later part of 1988 after defections by some legislators.

Zoramthanga was re-elected from the Champhai seat in the 1989 Assembly polls.

After the death of Laldenga due to lung cancer on July 7, 1990, Zoramthanga was elected MNF party chief, the post he continues to hold to date.

His party faced a severe debacle in the 2008 polls, bagging only three seats while its junior partner, the Maraland Democratic Party (MDF), won one seat. Zoramthanga lost from both the Champhai North and Champhai South constituencies. The Congress bagged 32 seats with Lal Thanhawla bouncing back to power. Zoramthanga continued to be in the political wilderness as he again lost from East Tuipui in 2013 and the Congress retained power with 34 legislators in the 40-member state legislature.

This time he contested from Aizawl East-I and defeated journalist-turned-politician K Sapdanga by 2,504 votes. 

For Zoramthanga, this poll was a do-or-die battle where a loss would have meant the last nail in his political coffin. Now how he will implement poll promises remains to be seen.