ZPM snaps ties with Cong in Mizoram

The Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), which had forged an alliance with the Congress for the election to the lone Lok Sahba seat in Mizoram and the by-poll to the Aizawl West-I assembly seat, Thursday said it has snapped ties with the party.

ZPM chairman Lalliansawta said the pre-electoral alliance with the Congress was issue-based to form an anti-NDA alliance against the proposed legislation of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

"Our common candidate Lalnghinglova Hmar did not make it to Parliament," Lalliansawta told newsmen, adding that there was no written condition for forging the alliance except that the common candidate would sit among the non-NDA allies.

Replying to queries, ZPM leader Lalthansanga claimed the main reason for the defeat of the common candidate was that the people had rejected the Congress.

"The Congress could not muster votes in the Chakma-dominated area while Chakmas were the main vote bank of the party," Lalthansanga said.

Ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) party nominee C Lalrosanga had defeated the ZPM-Congress combine candidate Hmar by a margin of over 8,000 votes.

The MNF has 27 legislators in the 40-member state legislature, while the ZPM and the Congress have seven and five members respectively. The BJP opened its account in the north eastern state by bagging a single seat in the state assembly election held on November 28 last year.