Northeast Desk, 21st March: The Congress party has opted to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in Mizoram independently after discussions for a pre-poll alliance with the Mizo National Front (MNF) failed to materialize, according to a senior party official.
The party is set to unveil its candidate for the parliamentary polls in Mizoram, slated for April 19, on Thursday. Mizoram, a northeastern state, has one Lok Sabha seat.
Negotiations between the Congress, which held power in Mizoram for approximately 20 years since 1987, and the MNF to form a pre-poll alliance against the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) did not yield a consensus.
“In light of the inability to reach a consensus with the MNF regarding the alliance, we have made the decision to proceed independently,” stated the Congress leader.
State Congress president Lal Thanzara will formally announce the candidate’s name during an event scheduled for Thursday.
The MNF, led by former chief minister Zoramthanga, is aligned with the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and is a constituent of the NDA at the Centre.
Meanwhile, the ruling ZPM, contesting the Lok Sabha polls independently for the first time since its inception in 2017, has nominated 46-year-old entrepreneur Richard Vanlalhmangaiha, a political newcomer, as its candidate. The incumbent MP from Mizoram is C Lalrosanga of the MNF.
Both the BJP and the MNF are yet to disclose the names of their candidates for the elections.
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