Mizoram Elections 2023: Desperate Congress attempts to paint MNF and ZPM as B-teams of BJP could backfire

Mizoram

After ruling Mizoram from 2008 to 2018, the Congress, currently, is relegated to third place in the state. In the last elections, the party was able to win only five seats. Hopeful of regaining its lost space in the Christian and Mizo dominated state, it is contesting on all 40 seats in alliance with two minor parties, the Zoram Nationalist Party and the People's Conference Party.

Rocky Transition From Lal Thanhawla Era

Veteran Congress leader Lal Thanhawla, who had been the face of the party in the northeastern state for the past four decades and occupied the chief minister’s post for five terms, has this time opted out of the contest. After being Congress state president since 1973, he resigned from the post in 2021 and Lalsawta was appointed as the state president. Lal Thanhawla remains a Congress Working Committee member.

Lalsawta has failed to put the Congress house in order in time for polls. Earlier this year, party treasurer Zodintluanga Raite resigned after discontent over Lalsawta allegedly not taking major decisions collectively.

Moreover, the party didn’t fare well in the local body polls under Lalsawta. In the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) elections, where the BJP grabbed 41 village councils out of 99, Congress won only 8 VCs while the ruling party Mizo National Front bagged 25 VCs.

These results were a blow to the Congress, particularly to Lalsawta, as they indicated that he was unable to stem the decline that began in 2018. MADC has two assembly constituencies – Palak and Siaha. In the last state elections, Congress was the second largest party here and its candidate KT Rokhow had emerged victorious in the Palak seat. This time Rokhow is contesting the polls as an MNF candidate.

In the Lunglei municipal council elections this year, despite the anti-incumbency against the MNF, it wasn’t Congress that reaped its benefits. Instead, the LMC polls were won by the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), which had replaced Congress as the primary opposition in the state in 2018.

Congress failed to win even a single seat and was a distant third with a vote percentage of 20 percent. Ominously for the Congress, there are four assembly constituencies under the LMC.

Banking On Manipur Violence

Left with no choice, the grand old party is now largely focusing on the violence in neighbouring Manipur, ruled by the BJP. The ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zomis in Manipur has been a major talking point in Mizoram as the Mizos share an ethnic bond with the Kuki-Zomis.

More than 12,000 of them are taking shelter in the state as refugees. By highlighting the Manipur issue, the Congress’s electoral messaging to the Mizos is that the saffron party’s policies are making their ethnic kinfolk suffer.

But this tactic is unlikely to bring many Mizo votes as it is a crowded field and there are two major Mizo-based parties, MNF and ZPM. Already, the ruling MNF, battling anti-incumbency, has been banking on Mizo nationalism by highlighting the suffering of the Kuki-Zomi people in Manipur.

So Congress has gone one step ahead and been busy portraying both the MNF and ZPM as gateways for Hindutva, BJP and its ideological parent, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This line of attack was primarily pushed by the party’s senior leader Rahul Gandhi during his visit to the state last month.

Behind Congress’s BJP-ZPM Tie-up Allegations

Apart from targeting the ruling MNF for being a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre, the Congress has been training its guns on the ZPM of late. The state leadership recently alleged a secret tie-up between ZPM and BJP with the post of chief ministership going to a heavyweight BJP candidate in case ZPM emerges as the largest party.

It has to be mentioned that the Congress had allied with ZPM during the last Lok Sabha elections. With that alliance failing and ZPM gaining ground, Congress is desperately trying to prevent its permanent reduction to third pole in the state’s politics.

During the last elections, the Congress, despite getting only 5 seats polled 29.98 percent votes, a decent percentage in view of anti-incumbency of two terms. Now with the grand old party relegated to a third force, the ZPM, which has been relatively weak in the rural areas, has been eyeing Congress votes, particularly in the rural areas, where Congress remains a relevant force.

Last time, all the five seats of the GOP were won in rural constituencies. As a result, Congress senses a threat from the ZPM, which has already risen in the urban areas by eating mostly into Congress votes. The demoralised Congress believes that the only way to stall the ZPM threat is to make wild allegations of ZPM being a secret partner of BJP to scare the Mizos, who are mostly Christian.

Congress-BJP Contest For Ethnic Minority Votes

Congress is also alleging a secret tie-up between BJP and the Mizo parties – MNF and ZPM – to woo non-Mizo voters. The saffron party has become a force to reckon with in the ethnic minority areas by eating into Congress’s votes.

All the five seats Congress won last time were from constituencies where ethnic minorities are influential. For the minorities, Congress during its heydays was a bulwark against the Mizo nationalists.

But with the Congress declining nationally and in Mizoram, the minorities may be eyeing another party who can guarantee their security. It is these seats BJP is targeting to increase its tally. There are 14 constituencies in Mizoram where ethnic minorities are influential.

It is noteworthy that apart from conducting a padayatra in Aizawl, Rahul Gandhi did his only rally in the Lunglei district, which has four assembly seats. Of these, two seats – both won by the Congress last time – are dominated by ethnic minorities.

Boost From Rahul Visit

During his visit to the state, apart from targeting MNF, ZPM and BJP, Rahul also highlighted the Mizo Accord signed with MNF rebels when his father Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister that brought peace to the state. It is important to mention though that ZPM’s chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma, who was then in Congress, had played a key role in the signing of the accord.

However, to what extent the visit of Rahul Gandhi would help the party in terms of getting seats remains a question. But Rahul Gandhi’s visit has given demoralised Congress supporters a big boost.

But Congress may be missing a trick in its desperation by focussing on Hindutva, Manipur, and alleging a secret BJP-MNF-ZPM pact. There are countless developmental issues that the party should have foregrounded to take advantage of anti-incumbency against the MNF government. This is what ZPM has been relentlessly doing.

Congress doesn’t come across as a mature party aspiring for governing the state, but as a scare-monger. After all, BJP is not even the governing party, and would at best qualify for fourth position. Giving BJP so much importance could backfire as this could disappoint voters – keen on knowing what Congress can offer them in developmental terms .

Sagarneel Sinha is a political commentator and tweets @SagarneelSinha. Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.