Aizawl, December 15 (IANS): Militant leader-turned-politician, Zoramthangas intenseacumenship took his party, the Mizo National Front (MNF), to govern Mizoram,the country's second least populous state, for a third term. It also obliquelyhelped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to accomplish its mission to make a"Congress-mukt (free) northeast."
Mizoiconic leader and MNF founder Laldenga's closest lieutenant, Zoramthanga, 74,was elected for a fifth term on Tuesday from Aizawl East-I seat, defeatingIndependent candidate K. Sapdanga by a margin of 2,504 votes. The hardworkingveteran tribal leader was earlier the Chief Minister of the Christian-dominatednortheastern state for 10 years (1998-2003 and 2003-2008).
"Zoramthanga'sfirm loyalty for the Mizo cause makes him an acceptable leader both among theyoung and old age, men and women in Mizoram," political analyst and academicianK.Sailo told IANS.
He saidthat the Congress government's 10 year misrule, non-performance and Mizoram'sunder development, besides job crisis among the youth, fittingly convinced thepeople to change the regime. He was Laldenga's second-in-command during thesecessionist movement in Mizoram and became the successor as party chief, afterMNF was recognised as a political party.
Afterthe devastating famine of 1959 and the Centre's alleged "indifferencetowards Mizos", the MNF led by Laldenga "declared independence fromthe Indian Union" on March 1, 1966. Zoramthanga joined the outlawed MNF inthe same year while waiting for his results in Bachelor of Arts course at theD.M. College under Manipur University in Imphal.
He wasalso arrested during the clandestine movement. Zoramthanga accompanied Laldengato Pakistan and Europe while the MNF was holding talks with the Indiangovernment and was actively involved in the peace parleys.
Coming overground, following the historic Mizo peace accord signed on June 30, 1986,between the MNF and the Centre, he was inducted as a minister in the interimgovernment headed by Laldenga for six months.
He wasappointed as secretary to Laldenga since 1969 and as Vice President of the"Mizoram government-in-exile" since 1979 as well as theVice-President of the MNF party.
When theMNF under the leadership of Laldenga came to power in 1987, Zoramthanga becamethe Finance and Education Minister. He was elected as the MNF President afterLaldenga's death in July 1990 from lung cancer.
In the1998 Assembly elections, the party won the polls and Zoramthanga became theChief Minister. In 2017, the politician published his first book on the historyof the Mizo nationalism movement in Mizo language and the book was sold out withina week of its release.
Politicalanalyst and writer N. Pachhunga told IANS: "As Zoramthanga is a devotedpeace lover, he offered the Central government to negotiate with theunderground outfits of northeast India," he said. "Zoramthanga had totake a firm pragmatic planning and mission to take Mizoram on the path ofgrowth as the state is lacking behind in adequate infrastructures like roadsand power plants. To move away from ‘Jhum' or shifting-cultivation to settlefarming and manage jobs for the educated youths are also a major challenges forthe new Chief Minister," Pachhunga said. The MNF is a constituent of theBJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). However, both MNF and BJPcontested the November 28 polls separately in Mizoram.
The MNF hadput up 40 candidates and BJP 39, its highest ever.
"Dueto Christianity and traditional ethnic conviction, Mizos are very close-knitand deep-bonding society. A party like BJP has no space in such a society. Mygovernment would make all-out efforts to further develop the Mizo society andthe infrastructure of the state, specially the roads," Zoramthanga said.
TheNovember 28 elections' sparkling success came after MNF failed miserably in thepast two elections, when its seat tally was reduced to single digits.
In 2008,the MNF lost power to Congress after a 10-year stint and managed to win justthree seats and in 2013 polls the party managed five seats.
With a population of around 1.1 million (2011 census), Mizoram is India's second most literate state (91.58 per cent), after Kerala (93.91 percent).
