MNF prez urges HPC(D) to lift boycott call to village polls

Mizo National Front (MNF) president Zoramthanga, who has been brokering a peace deal between the Centre and eight ethnic Mizo militant groups, today urged the HPC(D) militants to lift the boycott of the village council elections to 31 villages in Mizoram.
Addressing party workers in the MNF office in Aizawl, the former chief minister said he warned the Hmar People's Convention (Democrats) that MNF leaders would not participate in the next round of parleys between the Centre and the insurgent groups.
The eight ethnic Mizo groups were holding peace talks with the Centre under the umbrella organisation of United People's Front (UPA) and signed a bilateral suspension of Operations (SoO) on June 9 at New Delhi in presence of Zoramthanga.

"I have set the condition that I will continue to be involved in the peace deal only if the HPC(D) calls off its boycott to the village council polls to 31 villages," he said.
Village council polls were held in all the district excepting Saiha and Lawngtlai districts on April 30, but could not be held in the north-eastern part of the state adjoining Manipur and Assam due to boycott call by the Hmar militants.
The village councils could not be held in the villages as no one filed nominations in most of the places and those who had filed nominations also withdrew their candidature due to threats from the militants.

Zoramthanga said he had also mediated between the Centre and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and both the sides had held two rounds of talks.