Lalnghinglova Hmar
File image of Lalnghinglova Hmar. Image courtesy: Twitter @TeteaHmar

The Indian National Congress (INC) and Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has fielded sports journalist and Mizoram Football Association honorary secretary Lalnghinglova Hmar as their consensus candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat in the State.

Hmar filed his nomination as an independent candidate backed by the Congress-ZPM combine on Saturday.

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Informed sources said that Hmar, who was not into active politics, refused to contest the election on a ticket from any political party. So he is contesting as an independent candidate.

The opposition Congress and ZPM have entered into a pre-poll alliance to contest the Lok Sabha election and the Assembly by-election in the State and will be backing the candidature of Hmar.

Another independent candidate Lalthlamuani filed her nomination papers on Saturday, according to returning officer Vanlalngaihsaka.

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Lalthlamuani, the other Independent candidate to submit papers on Saturday, is the lone woman candidate.

The Congress needed a fresh face for the Lok Sabha seat as its sitting MP, 84-year-old CL Ruala, had said he would not contest because of old age.

With these two independent candidates filing papers on Saturday, the total number of candidates filing nomination in Mizoram went up to four till now.

Polling for the lone parliamentary constituency in the State will be held in the first phase, that is on April 11 next.

The by-poll to the Aizawl West-I Assembly seat will also be held on that 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.