Mizoram Polls 2023: ZPM announces list of all 40 candidates for upcoming Assembly elections

ZPM President Lalduhoma will be the chief ministerial candidate. He will be contesting from Serchhip, his home turf, again

Opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) on Tuesday announced the list of its candidates for the coming election to the Mizoram Assembly even as the Election Commission of India is yet to announce the poll dates.

Election to the state assembly is most likely to be held in November or first part of December.

The ZPM is set to contest all the 40 assembly constituencies with its chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma to test his fortune in his Serchhip home turf again.

The former Lok Sabha member, who was the first to be disqualified under the Anti Defection Law in 1988, defeated Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla in 2018 state assembly polls, was disqualified by the assembly speaker Lalrinliana Sailo in November, 2020.

However, he was re-elected with a massively higher margin in June, 2021 defeating the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) candidate Vanlalzawma (2-term Lok Sabha member) and P.C. Laltlansanga of the Congress.

Well-known personalities like journalist-turned politician and working chairman of the ZPM K. Sapdanga, popular footballer Jeje Lalpekhlua, former deputy speaker of the state assembly Vanlalhlana, former Vice Chairman of North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) Lalmuanpuia Punte and popular singer Vanlalsailova are amongst the candidates.

The ZPM, formed by merging the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), Mizoram People’s Conference Party (MPC) and Zoram Exodus Movement (ZEM) in 2017 bagged 8 seats in the 2018 assembly polls and doing better than the then ruling Congress party which managed to secure only 5 seats.

The ZPM, however, lost 2 assembly seats in by-elections and retain one seat.

With the strong anti-incumbency wave going against the present MNF government and the intra-party fighting within the Congress, the ZPM workers are expressing high hopes in winning the coming assembly polls.

However, internal squabbles in the loosely united ZPM’s future will depend on its ability to unify the supporters a few months after the announcement of the official candidates.

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