MNF to form new executive committee in Lai ADC after alliance with Congress

Aizawl, Jan 10: The ongoing political drama in the Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC) took a new turn on Friday with the Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) announcing that it is set to form a new executive committee in the council after reworking its post-poll alliance.

The MNF said that a new government would be formed under its leadership after it forged an alliance with the Congress, bringing an end to days of intense political uncertainty in the 25-member council.

The new alliance has been named the United Legislature Party.

According to the MNF, its proposed Chief Executive Member (CEM), C Lalsawmzuala, elected from Lawngtlai’s Chandmary constituency, has secured the support of 14 members of the district council, including seven from the Congress.

The party said that Lalsawmzuala staked claim to form the executive committee before the Governor on Friday.

“As no single party won a majority, there was a need for an alliance. Negotiations after negotiations ran into roadblocks, as a result of which the Government could not be formed in time. Now, with a new mutual agreement, a proposal has been submitted to the Governor to form a new Government, which is a significant development towards the formation of a stable Government in the LADC,” the MNF said in a statement.

The latest realignment comes days after the MNF withdrew from the Lairam Legislature Party (LLP), a post-poll alliance it had formed with the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM).

The MNF announced its exit from the LLP on January 6, triggering fresh political manoeuvring in the council.

The LLP was formed on December 14 following the LADC election, with the ZPM and MNF coming together after the Congress snapped its pre-poll alliance with the MNF.

The LLP had elected ZPM leader T Zakunga as its leader and staked claim to form the executive committee before the Governor on December 15, with Zakunga projected as the CEM.

The LADC election, held on December 3, threw up a fractured mandate. The MNF emerged as the single largest party with eight seats, followed by the Congress with seven seats and the ZPM with six.

The BJP won two seats, while two seats went to Independent candidates. With no party crossing the majority mark, efforts to stitch together a post-poll arrangement began soon after the results were announced on December 9.

Complications intensified when the Congress formally broke its pre-poll alliance with the MNF on December 11.

With the MNF entering into a fresh alliance with the Congress, the political equations in the Lai Autonomous District Council have once again shifted sharply, underlining the fluid and high-stakes nature of post-poll politics in the council.