Mizoram: In uncertain times, candidates contesting from multiple seats

In the 1989 polls, held after a bout of President's rule that prematurely brought to an end the first elected MNF government, quite a few candidates contested from two constituencies

When does a candidate contest from two assembly constituencies? The predictable answer would be: when they are unsure of winning a certain constituency. In Mizoram though, the question elicits a different answer: to show the popularity of a leader.

The trend of contesting from two constituencies was started by the celebrated Mizo National Front (MNF) leader Laldenga in the 1987 elections. Right after signing the Mizo Accord with the Rajiv Gandhi government, the rebel leader contested from Aizawl North and Sateek and won from both the constituencies. Since then, the trend picked up in assembly elections in Mizoram only to