Mizoram journalist and sports organizer, Lalnghinglova Hmar, who claims himself to the people’s candidate for the lone Mizoram Lok Sabha seat has fired all cylinders.
Also read: Mizoram: Congress-ZPM backed sports journalist files papers for LS polls
Backed by the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), Hmar has launched his campaign for the ensuing parliamentary election in full swing.
On Monday, the Congress and the ZPM had jointly appealed to the voters to cast their valuable votes in favour of Hmar to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally, the Mizo National Front (MNF) in the Lok Sabha polls.
The ZMP and Congress, who had forged a pre-poll alliance on March 7 last have kicked off election campaign in a big way at a function held in the Vanpa hall of Aizawl on Monday for the lone Lok Sabha seat and by-election for the Aizawl West-I Assembly constituency.
Polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Mizoram will be held in the first phase, that is on April 11.
The by-poll to the Aizawl West-I Assembly seat will also be held on the same day. The by-poll was necessitated after ZPM candidate Lalduhoma, who had won from two constituencies in the Assembly election last year, vacated the seat.
A retired bureaucrat Lalbuanga Sailo is contesting in the Assembly by-election who is backed by the Congress-ZPM combine .
Addressing the gathering, former Chief Minister and state Congress president and Lal Thanhawla said the alliance was forged to stand for the rights of the Mizo people and protection of Mizoram and Christianity.
He alleged that the BJP led NDA government was attempting to suppress religious minorities and propagate Hindutwa.
The Congress president also came down heavily on the ruling MNF for being part of the BJP-led NDA government that has no regard for the sentiments of the Mizo people.
He also said that if the BJP comes back to power, it will again try to impose Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which is harmful not only for the state of Mizoram, but the entire Northeast.
ZNP president Lalduhoma, who is also the ZPM legislature party leader slammed the ruling MNF for spreading misleading and malicious rumours regarding the Congress-ZPM alliance.
He was also of the view that by declaring 25 December, the day when Christmas is celebrated across the globe, as good governance day and observing Digitial India day on Good Friday is an attempt to destabilize the secular fabric of the country.