 "Rasik Mohan Chakma")
In a significant development, 16 members of the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC), including Chief Executive Member Rasik Mohan Chakma, have tendered their resignations from the Mizo National Front (MNF) ahead of the assembly elections in Mizoram, according to a report by India Today NE.
The members have opted to resign from both their primary memberships and their respective roles within the MNF. They have announced their intention to join the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM).
Rasik Mohan Chakma stated that among the 17 members joining the ZPM, one will be a Congress Member of the District Council (MDC). An EastMojo report indicated that Rasik Mohan Chakma will be a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) candidate for the ZPM, contesting from the Tuichawng constituency.
The 17 CADC members are set to join the ZPM under the leadership of ZPM Working President K Sapdanga.
Currently, the Chakma Autonomous District Council comprises 20 elected MDCs and four nominated MDCs. Of the 20 elected MDCs, 18 were affiliated with the MNF, with one each from the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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This mass departure from the MNF represents a considerable setback for the party ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections.
In May, Rasik Mohan Chakma was inaugurated as the new Chief Executive Member of the CADC. The Chakma leader has been elected at least six times as a member of the Chakma council from the Borapansury constituency since 1993.
The ZPM serves as the principal opposition party in Mizoram, boasting seven legislators in the state legislative assembly. Formed in 2017 as an electoral alliance of six minor parties, the ZPM originally included the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC), and Zoram Exodus Movement (ZEM). The Mizoram People’s Party (MPP), Zoram Reformation Front (ZRF), and Zoram Democratic Front (ZDF) joined the alliance at a later date.
In July 2019, the ZPM officially received registration from the Election Commission of India (ECI). Apart from the MPC, which opted to cut ties with the front, all the other constituent parties have been dissolved to form a single political entity.
The ZPM also achieved a significant victory in 2023 by winning all 11 wards in the newly formed Lunglei Municipal Council, dealing a major blow to the MNF.
