AIZAWL: Mizoram’s ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) on Monday suffered a humiliating defeat in the first Lunglei Municipal Council (LMC) polls as main opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) swept the polls by landslide winning all the 11 seats.
This is the first local body polls in which the ZPM won majority after it was formed in 2017.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The MNF headed by Chief Minister Zoramthanga, which also contested 11 seats, managed to get only 29.4 per cent of the total vote share.
A total of 74.26 per cent turnout was recorded in the first LMC polls held on March 29.
42 candidates, including 16 women, had contested the civic polls.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Also read: Mizoram | 74.26% voters’ turnout recorded in Lunglei Municipal Council elections
The MNF, ZPM and Congress have fielded 11 seats each, while the BJP contested 9 seats.
Of the 11 seats, 4 were reserved for women.
While ZPM secured 49.31 per cent vote share, Congress- 20 per cent and BJP managed to secure only 0.75 per cent of the total votes polled.
A 28-year-old ZPM nominee Lalhruaitluangi Sailo emerged as the lone woman candidate to have won general or unreserved seat.
She defeated her nearest opponent R Lalhmingmawia of MNF by a margin of 182 votes.
Meanwhile, ZPM president Lalliansawta said that the party’s landslide victory was beyond his expectation.
He said that the ZPM’s victory manifested that people are sick of the existing political system and are in the want of a political change (new system) preached by his party.
He claimed that the LMC polls will have impact on the state assembly polls as it was part of the forerunner of the polls due later this year.
Lalliansawta also exuded hope that his party will win the state Assembly polls.
In the present 40-member Mizoram assembly, the MNF has 28 members, ZPM – 6, Congress-5 and BJP-1.
Zoramthanga congratulated the people of Lunglei for the first LMC government and said that election wherein people are able to elect their representatives is an example of the greatness and value of democracy.
Revenue minister and MNF adviser Lalruatkima and Congress president Lalsawta accepted their defeat and both congratulated ZPM for winning the LMC polls.
“We accept our defeat and will use this to reform ourselves,” Lalruatkima said while addressing a function in Lunglei.
Lalsawta said that the party met with defeat today but will rise again for victory.
Created in 2022 by the present MNF government, LMC is the second municipal council in the state after Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC), which was established in 2010.