Mizoram polls 2023: Meet 31-yr old Lalruatfel Hlawndo who will contest against CM Zoramthanga

The ensuing Mizoram election will witness a number of key battles between high profile political leaders, but a 31-year old Mizo lady, Lalruatfel Hlawndo, has decided to try her luck as an independent candidate.

This young first timer will be fighting against Mizoram’s political heavyweight and three times Chief Minister Zoramthanga who is contesting from the Aizawl East-1 seat. Lalruatfel Hlawndo is also contesting from Aizawl North-I seat.

From being a teacher, to a radio jockey Hlawndo has done it all. A post graduate in Missional Leadership from Newman University, England, Lalruatfel Hlawndo now wants to try out being a politician.

But what actually prompted Lalruatfel Hlawndo to opt for politics?

Hlawndo, speaking to Northeast Live, said that she chose to be in politics after realizing that her home state needs a lot of help.

She said, “I think the initial interest was never to be an MLA candidate as such. But when I came back home in 2017 after living abroad and also different parts of India for literally all my life. I understood and realized that Mizoram is in great need of help in many areas, many shortcomings in the society and how it clashed with what is happening here in politics. Understanding that the root of everything is actually the governance here in Mizoram, I decided actually I just can’t speak about the problems here in the society but actually I have to do something about it, that is why I realized that the root of it is politics, I need to walk the walk and actually do something about it, so I stepped into politics.”

Asked as to why she decided to go as an independent candidate, Hlawndo said that her decision was influenced by the Voice of God.

Regarding this Hlawndo said, “We really felt the deep urgent calling from God saying that actually you need to go back to your nation and rebuild the broken parts of it. So when we came back home, we realized the issue was actually in the party political system of India, of Mizoram. We have only known about this party political system since 1946, something like that when Mizoram also decided to adopt this form of democratic politics. So just understanding and realizing that in party political system we have units, we have memberships, we have block systems and through that there is a deep level of corruption, bribery and clientalism and all of that we understand takes place in Indian politics. So we decided that God’s calling is not actually to be involved in party politics, its not about setting up a party to be against other parties, is to set up a very neutral framework where everyone is welcomed, everyone is included and that can’t happen through party politics. so we thought that this is God’s calling, this is how I can unite all the people of Mizoram together under one banner and that is to be an independent candidate.”

Hlawndo stating about the issues which are in her agenda said, “Everyone is praying, advocating for a better system of politics and to do away with the current system that we have now and seeing that we are practically living and practically working on that courageously.”

Besides CM Zoramthanga, the other opponents of Hlawndo in the Aizawl East-I constituency are Lalthansanga (ZPM) and Lalsanglura Ralte (Congress). In the Aizawl North-I seat Mafeli will be in the fray against R. Lalzirliana (MNF), Vanlalhlana (ZPM) and Lalnunmawia Chuaungo (Congress).