iMizoram : Blog Title the same as above

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Mizoram Deputy Speaker elected

AIZAWL, Dec 19 – R Lalrinawma of the ruling Congress was today elected unopposed as the Deputy Speaker of the Mizoram Assembly.

Speaker Hiphei said that only one nomination was received for the election and announced that Lalrinawma was the new Deputy Speaker.

House leader Lal Thanhawla and opposition group leader Vanlalzawma accompanied the newly-elected Deputy Speaker to his seat.

Lal Thanhawla said that Lalrinawma was the chairman of the Law Commission during the previous government and contributed a lot to legislation of a large number of laws and also for discarding obsolete Acts.

“His knowledge of law would be invaluable for the State legislature,” the Chief Minister said, adding that he and the Congress members would support him in his efforts to maintain the dignity and decorum of the State legislature.

An advocate by profession, Lalrinawma (53) was elected from Aizawl East-I seat in 2008 State Assembly polls from where he won again in the Assembly elections held on November 25 this year. – PTI

Meanwhile, Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla today administered the oath of office to the newly-appointed seven Parliamentary Secretaries.

The parliamentary Secretaries are: K S Thanga, Lt Col ZS Zuala, H Zothangliana, Joseph Lalhimpuia, TT Zothansanga, K Lalrinthanga and Himngdailova Khiangte.

In Mizoram, Parliamentary Secretaries enjoyed the rank and salary of the Ministers of State.

Former Minister H Liansailova, who lost in the recent Assembly polls, was appointed vice-chairman of the State Planning Board.

Liansailova’s position is the rank of a Cabinet Minister and would enjoy the salary and facility like a Cabinet Minister.

R Lalrinawma elected Deputy Speaker of Mizoram

Aizawl: R Lalrinawma of the ruling Congress was on Wednesday elected unopposed as the Deputy Speaker of the Mizoram Assembly.

Speaker Hiphei said that only one nomination was received for the election and announced that Lalrinawma was the new deputy speaker.

House leader Lal Thanhawla and opposition group leader Vanlalzawma accompanied the newly elected Deputy Speaker to his seat.

Lal Thanhawla said that Lalrinawma was the chairman of the Law Commission during the previous government and contributed a lot to legislation of a large number of laws and also for discarding obsolete acts.

"His knowledge of law would be invaluable for the state legislature," the chief minister said, adding that he and the Congress members would support him in his efforts to maintain the dignity and decorum of the state legislature.

An advocate by profession, Lalrinawma (53) was elected from Aizawl East-I seat in 2008 state assembly polls from where he won again in the Assembly elections held on November 25 this year.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Mizoram EC moves to hold by-polls after heads of Mizoram's 3 tribal districts become MLAs

With the respective heads of the Chakma, Lai and Mara tribal Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in Mizoram having become MLAs in the just-concluded Assembly polls, the State Election Commission has begun proceedings to hold by-elections for the three top posts.

While Mara ADC chairman Hiphei, a former Parliamentarian, has become Speaker of the seventh Mizoram Legislative Assembly after winning the Palak seat on Congress ticket, the Lai ADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) C Ngunlianchunga has become a Minister of State in Lal Thanhawla's fifth state government after winning the Lawngtlai West seat. Lai ADC CEM Dr BD Chakma has also become an MoS after winning the Tuichawng seat for the Congress.

Just before the Assembly polls got underway, a collective of some ADC members had won a Gauhati High Court case where they challenged a state law that makes it necessary for ADC members to first resign from their posts before contesting state-wide polls.

State Election Commission secretary H Darzika held a meeting with ADC officials and respective district Deputy Commissioners in Aizawl on Tuesday to discuss the by-polls, beginning with roll revisions. The dates have however not been fixed yet.

Mizoram GSDP growth at 11 per cent during 11 Plan

Aizawl, Dec 17 (PTI) Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushthaman today said that the state registered GSDP growth at 11 per cent during 11 Plan period against the national growth rate of 7.8 per cent.

In his customary address in the state assembly, Purushothaman said that the high GSDP growth could be attributed to a great extent to the implementation of the New Land Use Policy (NLUP), the flagship programme of the state government.

He said that the original target of 1.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Congressman Hiphei to be elected as Speaker in Mizoram Assembly

Former speaker and veteran Congressman Hiphei is likely to be the next Speaker of the Mizoram Assembly for which election would be held on Monday.

Hiphei filed his nominations for the election this afternoon, Sources in the assembly secretariat said.

He was elected from Palak seat in southernmost Saiha district defeating the sitting legislator and president of the Maraland Democratic Party P P Thawlla in the Assembly elections on 25 November 2013.

R Lalrinawma of Congress was sworn-in this evening by Governor Vakkom Purushothaman as the Pro tem Speaker.

Lalrinawma, the Chairman of the state Law Commission, would administer oath of office to the newly-elected legislators on Monday, after which the election of the Speaker would also be held.

Sources in the Opposition Mizo Democratic Alliance legislature party which has six legislators (Mizo National Front - five and Mizoram People's Conference - one) said that it was not likely to contest against the ruling party candidate in the election of the Speaker.

Kidnappers issue new threat if Rs 5 crores ransom demand not met by Christmas

Militants who kidnapped three men at the India-Bangadesh border in Mizoram last month have said they "will not be responsible for whatever happens to the hostages" if their ransom demand of Rs 5 crores is not paid before Christmas.

The suspected National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants issued the threat though a telephone call to the Vanglaini newspaper, Mizoram's most widely circulated daily, on Thursday.

The caller identified himself as Lalduhawma, a known Bru outlaw who intelligence officers say has been on their radar for years.

He said he was calling on behalf of the "Bru Democratic Front of Mizoram". Top sources however said there is no such outfit and suspected it to merely be an alibi for the NLFT, a tribal militant group which has for decades been targeting "Bengali settlers" in Tripura.

Sources described Lalduhawma as someone who has been associated with various armed gangs that emerged after the two main Bru militant groups - Bru National Liberation Front and Bru Liberation Front of Mizoram - laid down their arms after peace deals with the Mizoram government in the last decade.

These include the Bru National Development Liberation Front of Mizoram (BNDLFM), which was later changed to Western Development Liberation Front of Mizoram (WDLFM), believed to be involved in the current kidnapping.

Besides having lived in various western Mizoram villages, Lalduhawma is said to have mainly resided in the Naisingpara Bru relief camp in Tripura, the largest of six such camps.

He is suspected to be linked with militants who looted Rs 198 lakhs from the Zawlnuam BDO office in Mizoram's Mamit district last July, and part of which was believed to have been handed over to NLFT cadres in exchange for firearms and assistance.

The kidnapped men are Deep Mandal, an employee of Noida-based Telecom Network Solutions who was working on a contract for Airtel, and two Mizo drivers Sanglianthanga and Lalzamliana.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Sixth Mizoram Assembly Dissolved

The sixth Mizoram Assembly was today dissolved by the state Governor Vakkom Purushothaman, an official statement said today.

The statement said that the state governor dissolved the current Assembly yesterday in accordance with the powers given to him by the Constitution and on the advice of the Council of Ministers.

Dissolution of the sixth Assembly paved the way for formation of the new Assembly, which would be the seventh since Mizoram attained statehood in 1987.

Sixth Mizoram Assembly dissolved by state Governor Vakkom Purushothaman

Aizawl: The sixth Mizoram Assembly was on Thursday dissolved by the state Governor Vakkom Purushothaman, an official statement said.

The statement said that the state governor dissolved the current Assembly yesterday in accordance with the powers given to him by the Constitution and on the advice of the Council of Ministers.

Dissolution of the sixth Assembly paved the way for formation of the new Assembly, which would be the seventh since Mizoram attained statehood in 1987.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Some solace

The landslide victory in the north-eastern state of Mizoram is cold comfort for the Congress which has suffered massive and demoralising defeats in elections to state Assemblies in other parts of the country. The party, under chief minister Lal Thanhawla, has won 32 seats in the 40-member Assembly and the opposition alliance, led by the Mizo National Front, did not make even a credible impact, winning only five seats. The Congress cannot claim any pride from the win because the political signals from the north-eastern states hardly matter elsewhere in the country. The small Assemblies and the few Lok Sabha seats do not influence the national scene. The politics of what is wrongly called the national mainstream also does not often appeal much to the north-east. The issues that concern the voters there are different most times.

Because of the geographical, historical and economic situations in these states, the voters give much importance to peace and stability. Mizoram, like other states, has been wracked by insurgency in the past. Localised politics based on tribal loyalties and ground level issues play a role but the biggest ground level issue is safety and security. This may be the reason why Mizoram has, in elections in the last 25 years, has only elected the ruling party at the Centre or parties that supported the Central government at the time of the elections. The state has no industrial or economic base and has to depend on central funds not just for development but also for normal government activities. So a premium is placed on good Centre-state relations. The Mizoram voters have also tended to give two successive terms to parties in power. The MNF had won in 1998 and 2003 and the Congress, which won in 2008, has got another mandate now.

Lal Thanhawla has claimed that his mandate is a result of good governance, tough steps against insurgency and a new land use policy which helped farmers to secure land titles and improve cultivation. The policy is a populist one and depended much on central funds. Mizoram, as other states in the region, has seen no industrial development. Geographical isolation, lack of infrastructure and failure to implement promises to link the region economically with south-east Asia and Bangladesh have perpetuated backwardness. The politics of the region can be better aligned with that of the rest of the country if there is greater economic integration. Successive governments at the Centre have failed in this.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Repoll underway in one Mizoram polling station

Aizawl, Dec 11:

Polling is underway at Tialdawngilung polling station in Lawngtlai West constituency of Mizoram, where repoll had been ordered by the Election Commission.

Repoll was ordered due to a defective electronic voting machine (EVM) that was used in the election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly held on November 25.

State Joint Chief Electoral Officer H. Lalengmawia said that all the polling officials have reached the polling station to conduct the repoll.

There were 257 voters listed under the polling station of whom 210 voters had exercised their franchise on November 25.

Mizoram election result 2013: 'Nobody made me a leader, my hard work paid off'

AIZAWL: Congress might have taken a bad hit in the four other states that went to polls recently but his party colleagues' decimation did not shake four-time Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla's confidence even for once. The grand old man of Mizoram Congress remained visibly calm through his party's debacle in other states. "I have been here, I've seen many, I was confident that we will have a clean majority," he said.

The 71-year-old Lal Thanhawla has been dubbed too old by many, but at a time when the BJP wave is sweeping the nation and the air is rife with anti-Congress sentiment, the veteran politician has led his party to another landslide victory in Mizoram.

No wonder his age is no matter of concern for his partymen. "I know I'm aged, and I sincerely feel it's high time for me to retire from politics and spend more time with my family, especially with my grandchildren, but the call from my partymen is still very loud for me," he said.

Clearly, Lal Thanhawla, who has already won the maximum number of seats in Mizoram's electoral history, can't just hang his boots and settle into a domestic, retired life. His party expects him to sit in the chief minister's chair for another five years. Since 1978, Lal Thanhawla has won seats in nine assembly elections, including this one.

"Leaders are not made; nobody made me a leader, my dedication and hard work paid off. With God on my side, my perseverance and love for my state made me who I am today," Lal Thanhawla said.

His dynamic daughter-in-law Rosy Chalrotluangi, who's behind his success in Hrangturzo constituency, feels that her father-in-law needs more time with his grandchildren, but understands his calling.

"At this age, my father-in-law longs for a quiet and a serene life with his family, but Mizoram Congress still needs him and he is also fully aware of this. He once told me he could not choose between the people of Mizoram and his grandchildren, he loves them both," Rosy Chalrotluangi said.

Rosy's siblings, sports minister Zodintluanga and Chalrosanga, won from Thorang and Lunglei West constituencies respectively. Chalrosanga, her youngest sibling and a first-timer, defeated Mizo National Front's heavyweight candidate R Lalthangliana, a former minister and incumbent legislator from Lunglei West constituency.

Women outstrip men in Mizoram, yet no woman in assembly

Aizawl : No woman candidate was elected to the state assembly in Mizoram, but it is the only state in India where women voters have outnumbered men, officials said here Tuesday.
There has been no woman legislator in Mizoram for the whole of the past two decades.
In the Nov 25 assembly elections, among the 142 candidates in the field, women aspirants were only six (four percent) -- nominated by various political parties. The results of the polls were declared Monday.
The Congress and the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) fielded one woman candidate each while three women contested on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket. One woman joined the fray as an Independent candidate.
Tlangthanmawii, who is also the state Congress women wing president, and Lalmalsawmi of the MNF were defeated by male candidates of rival political parties.
The BJP's three women candidates got very least number of votes, while the lone woman Independent aspirant B. Sangkhumi, former president of the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or Mizo Women Federation, also suffered defeat.
The ruling Congress swept 33 of the 40 seats at stake (one seat more than in the previous house), leaving five seats to the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) and one to Mizoram People's Conference (MPC).
The result of the Lawngtlai East constituency was withheld due to erroneous electronic voting machines of a polling station. The Congress is in a lead position in the constituency.
"No woman was elected to the state assembly this time," Mizoram Chief Electoral officer Ashwini Kumar told IANS.
"Congress and MNF's women nominees were fielded against heavy weight candidates while the other parties who fielded women candidates have little political base in the state. Therefore, no women could get elected to the state assembly," the CEO said.
Mizoram is the only state in India where in a total population of 1,091,014, women voters outnumbered men by 9,806 in the total electorate of 690,860.
In the previous assembly elections in 2008, ten women contested -- fopur more than this year -- but unsuccessfully.
That year, women voters outnumbered men voters by 6,644 and in the 2003 elections by 3,816.
Since Mizoram became a union territory in 1973 and a full-fledged state in 1987, there have been only three women legislators - Thanmawii (1978), K. Thansiamii (1979) and Lalhimpuii Hmar (1987). Among them, Lalhimpuii Hmar of the MNF was a minister in the government led by the late Laldenga in 1987.
The Women Welfare Front, constituted by women members of village councils across the state, has been actively spearheading the campaign for women candidates before the assembly polls.
"We made all-out efforts so that we see as many women candidates as possible in the Nov 25 assembly elections. We requested political parties to nominate as many women candidates as possible. We made appeal to the female voters to vote for the women contestants," Women Welfare Front secretary Darhmingthangi told IANS.
"As much as we need women in our domestic affairs, we need them in the legislative system too," she added.
"The Mizo society in pre-modern times was based on what is known as an extreme patriarchal society. This created 'private' and 'public' domain, where women were confined to the private sphere that further relegated their status in the social and religious life," sociologist Subhankar Goswami told IANS.
"Women, therefore, had no opportunities to go beyond the scope of the 'domestic sphere' and it was only men who controlled and dominated the entire 'public sphere'. They were not supposed to have any independent religious loyalty, but were required to follow the religion of their husbands."
"Christianity, of course, is the harbinger of modernity as well as women's liberation in Mizoram. The Christian missionaries are regarded as a symbol of modernisation that led to gradual changes in the conservative attitudes of men towards women," he said.

Mizoram election result 2013: NLUP was Congress's biggest victory weapon, feels MNF

AIZAWL: The Mizo National Front (MNF), once a rebel outfit which became a political party with the signing of the historic Mizo Accord, has always caught the imagination of the people here. It was Rajiv Gandhi who brought them into the mainstream when he signed an accord with its founder, Laldenga, in 1986.

Subsequently, it went on to win assembly elections in 1987, 1998 and 2003, but lost to the Congress for two consecutive terms, including this election. Its president and former chief minister, Zoramthanga, formed a three-party opposition alliance comprising the Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA), the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and the Maraland Democratic Front (MDF), but it was not formidable enough to take on the Congress led by chief minister Lal Thanhawla. Besides, another regional party, the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), played spoilsport.

All eyes were on the ZNP this election, led by former IPS officer Lal Duhoma. But in real terms, the ZNP became a mere vote divider paving the way for an easy win for the Congress. Though social media saw the emergence of the ZNP as a larger third front in Mizoram, political analysts felt they were just a nightmare for the MDA and nothing more.

"The ZNP wave was there, but too weak to win a single seat. However, it was good enough to disturb the Mizoram Democratic Alliance's concentration of votes. The bigger the ZNP wave, the bigger the margin of the Congress victory," summed up Tuikhuahthanga, a political analyst.

The ZNP has formed a partnership with the Congress in the Aizawl Municipal Council, but they decided to go it alone in the assembly polls.

Duhoma's energetic campaign did help to attract young voters but this was not reflected in the vote share. This strategy, however, did help to dampen MDA's chances. "Mizoram has its own precedence, 'let them rule for two consecutive terms, then we'll see', this is one important factor," said Lalchhandama from Aizawl, adding that the people of Mizoram are not yet tired of the Congress.

The Congress's pilot project, the New Land Use Policy (NLUP), has also played a key role in the victory, felt many including the opposition. The Rs 2,800-crore project had covered 1.35 lakh familes across the state and was expected to bring about a sea-change in rural economy.

"I cannot say if NLUP can bring about an economic change for poor farmers, but it has benefitted many in rural areas," said R Lalthangliana, the vice-president of MNF.

"Many people may have misused the money, but it was the biggest electoral tool of the Congress," said an MNF supporter.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Mizoram elections: Congress to elect party chief tomorrow

The Congress Legislature Party would hold a meeting on Wednesdayto formally elect party chief Lal Thanhawla as the CLP leader, paving the way for his becoming the chief minister for the second consecutive term.

Mr. Thanhawla was likely to form the new Congress government in Mizoram earliest by Friday, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said on Tuesday.

The five-day national mourning as a mark of respect to South African leader Nelson Mandela was one of the reasons for the delayed swearing-in ceremony, the sources said.

Lal Thanhawla, all set for a fifth term, won from both Serchhip and Hrangturzo seats, he contested. He was elected to the Assembly for a record ninth time since 1978.

Congress won a two-thirds majority in the November 25 Assembly election winning 33 of 39 seats and improved upon its 2008 tally by one seat.

Repoll for Lawngtlai East seat would be held on Wednesday and counting would be done on Thursday.

The opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA), a pre-poll alliance formed by the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) and the Maraland Democratic Front (MDF) won six seats (MNF 5 and MPC one).

Mizoram is still seen as an exotic and faraway place

Sanjib Kr Baruah

This time around, five states had a go at the hustings. Mizoram was the fifth, on November 25.

While the prospects of the many political parties and candidates in Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, were dissected by TV anchors, newspapers, poll pundits and
politicians, no one evinced any interest in talking about Mizoram. It was the same in the print and social media.

Not that northeasterners actually mind. They are used to decades of monumental neglect and to being a veritable blip on the national radar of Indian politics. Arguments made for greater coverage for the Northeast are often dismissively put down to a ‘persecution complex’.

What also takes the cake is the fact that except for one poll survey agency, no one was commissioned to do an opinion or exit poll on Mizoram politics. Even that single agency interested in Mizoram — CVoter — is reported to have funded the survey with its own money as no media house came forward to fund such a survey in the backwaters.

The media, much like the political establishment, advocates more coverage of the Northeast, but is loath to make the investments that will enable suitable coverage. This is a narrative that is here to stay despite ‘the winds of change’ having hit the Indian capital.

Ironically, Mizoram with more than 81% voting, registered the highest political participation among the states that went to the polls.

A top Election Commission official stated that the behaviour of the public during the elections in Mizoram should be a model for the rest of the country. One reason for such orderly conduct is the involvement of civil society organisations, including the powerful Church that came out with a list of desirable and undesirable activities for political parties.

You can bet that the Northeast will continue to be on the periphery when the parliamentary elections take place in about five months. After all, only 25 Lok Sabha MPs or less than 5% are returned from that region.

On a lighter note, the only excited people during the allocation of poll duties were perhaps the government poll officials who were keen to try out the ‘exotic’ experience that ‘faraway’ Mizoram provides. This, by and large, characterises the ‘mainstream’ approach to affairs in the Northeast.

POST-SCRIPT: The Lal Thanhawla-led Congress has retained power in Mizoram — the fifth time Congress has come to power in the state that had seen decades of incessant insurgency.

It is incidentally the only state in the country that was carpet-bombed by its own Indian Air Force fighter jets on March 5, 1966 in an effort to quell a rebellion led by the Mizo National Front (MNF) which had taken over the Assam Rifles headquarters in Aizawl.

The MNF itself was the offshoot of a voluntary group that had been set up to address peoples’ misery due to a terrible famine when no government help and aid was forthcoming.
- See more at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/comment/analysis/mizoram-is-still-seen-as-an-exotic-and-faraway-place/article1-1160881.aspx#sthash.Yax0oTN2.dpuf

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Two polling officials suspended in Mizoram

Aizawl, Dec 6 (PTI) Two polling officials who were on duty at the Republic Veng - I polling booth during the election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly on November 25, were suspended today for dereliction of duty.

The suspension orders were issued following intimation from the state election department which was instructed by the Election Commission.

Rs 5cr ransom call for Deep

The kidnappers of Deep Mandal, a telecom professional from north Calcutta who went missing on November 23 from Mizoram’s Mamit district along with two Mizo drivers, have demanded a ransom of Rs 5 crore.

Mizoram police on Thursday confirmed that the 25-year-old from Shyampukur has been kidnapped on his first assignment outside Bengal but “he is safe”.

The Mamit superintendent of police, Rodingliana Chawngthu, said the kidnappers called the manager of the Noida-based company Deep worked for around 4pm on Wednesday. “This was the first ransom call so far. The hostages are safe but deep inside Bangladesh.”

Mamit district, around 160km west of Aizawl, borders Bangladesh and Tripura.

The police had said last week that militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura might have kidnapped Deep while he was returning to Aizawl from Tuipuibari forest, where his firm has installed mobile phone towers for a telecom company.

The two drivers have been identified as Sanglianthanga and Lalzamliana.

Deep had joined the private firm five months ago and this was his first official trip outside Bengal. His last call to his family was on November 22.

On Thursday, the influential Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) took out a 65km rally seeking early and unconditional release of the hostages. Lalmachhuana, the president of the student union, said: “We want people living in Mizoram to join hands in maintaining peace.”

The government along with the Young Mizo Association, NGOs and taxi drivers have supported the rally.

‘Invisible’ children growing up in relief camps

Rimjhim Jain

Kornojoy Molshoi was an infant when his parents fled Mizoram in 1997 for a relief camp in neighbouring Tripura. Though they expected to return in a few weeks, Kornojoy is now 16 and has only experienced life in Naisingpara relief camp.

“It was shocking to discover a generation of
children has grown up in these makeshift camps which are being denied basic sanitation, health or education facilities. Many children are even refused birth certificates or ration cards, making them an invisible population,” says Sipa Dixit, member, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

On October 24, the NCPCR sent a letter to the home ministry and four other central ministries on the dangerously deteriorating camp conditions. With no let up in the forced migrations caused by civil unrest in many states, it urgently recommends a policy for internally displaced populations living in relief camps.

Of the 31,846 Brus in seven relief camps in north Tripura, 8,426 are children like Kornojoy living here for 15-16 years.

They survived outbreaks of cholera, malaria and blood dysentery which have claimed 2,000 lives. Installed on a temporary basis, the camps still exist without proper sanitation, electricity, health centres or proper schools.

Kornojoy is about to complete Class 8 beyond which no schooling is offered in the camps. His father says, “Schools outside deny admission to camp children on various pretexts. He has no job option either.” The same bleak future faces thousands of other children in relief camps.

Visiting relief camps all over the country since 2008 to assist district administrations on the safety, education and health of children in the camps, including those in Muzaffarnagar, the NCPCR is now in talks with the Centre to issue guidelines for the camps.

“As internally displaced persons our condition is worse than that of refugees whose welfare is at least governed by UN guidelines,” laments Bruno Msha of the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum.

The NCPCR’s intervention galvanised the ministry of water resources to issue directions on November 1 for providing water and sanitation facilities on a ‘top-priority basis’ to children in the north Tripura camps.

It is time to recognise that relief camps are a reality in this age of civil unrest. The rights of displaced populations must be addressed through policy measures that cut through haphazard aid and biased considerations.

In a democracy, state governments cannot argue that ‘these are not our people’. For instance, camps still in existence after a few months must be incorporated into the district’s development agenda.

Systematic regulations are particularly important for children growing up in camps that are ‘temporarily permanent.

Rimjhim Jain is a Delhi-based independent writer

The views expressed by the author are personal

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Prime suspect in drug smuggling case held in Mizoram

Aizawl: Alleged mastermind in the massive smuggling of pseudo-ephedrine from India to Myanmar, Tlangchungnunga has been arrested at the Lengpui Airport by the Mizoram Police.

While no drug was seized from his possession, a number of documents, including suspected fake documents, were seized by the Airport security personnel from Tlangchungnunga here last night.

Tlangchungnunga, alias Pa Tlanga, who claimed to be a Pastor in the Mizo Christian Fellowship in Delhi and knowing Mizo language, is suspected to be a Myanmarese national.

Police said that when he was arrested, he threw away a small bag which was recovered and found to be containing a number of documents, including those printed in Myanmarese language.

He was wanted by the Police in Mizoram-Myanmar border Champhai, who suspected that he was the mastermind behind an organised trafficking of pseudo-ephedrine to Myanmar via Mizoram.

Pseudo-ephedrine is a precursor for illicit manufacturing of drugs like Metamphetamine.

"He was operating from Delhi to smuggle huge quantity of pseudo-ephedrine to Myanmar," a senior Police official said, adding that Pa Tlanga was booked under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and would be sent to Champhai Police Station.

Crores of rupees worth pseudo-ephedrine tablets intended to have been smuggled to Myanmar were seized by a number of enforcement agencies including the state police, excise and narcotics department officials and customs officials during the past two years.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Huge cache of arms and ammunition seized in Mizoram

A huge cache of arms and ammunition including 39 grenades, 14 assault rifles and a Light Machine Gun has been seized in Mizoram by a joint operation mounted by the Serchhip district police and 14th Assam Rifles.
Two persons have been arrested and booked under the Arms Act. The accused have been identified as Thangdeihtung and Liankhanmanga, both 30 years of age and residents of Champhai town, near the Indo-Myanmar border.
Top police sources said law enforcement agencies acted on a tip-off received by the North Vanlaiphai Police station on Monday afternoon, which indicated the arms cache was moving from Champhai towards Lunglei town in south-central Mizoram through Serchhip.
The accused were stopped just outside Khawlailung village later in the evening. They were riding a pick-up truck, and the rifles were stashed in a compartment behind the front seats while the rest were wrapped in a silpaulin sheet and placed in the rear.
Interrogations have revealed the duo were given the consignment by one Thanglianpaua in Champhai, who told them a man he did not name would get in touch with them through one of the mobile handsets he gave them and receive the consignment near Lunglei.
Investigators have ruled out the consignment's connection with any election-related use by militants or other groups, but have also not yet been able to gauge which group or groups are likely behind it.
Mizoram, one of North-East India's most peaceful states, has in the past few years become a major route for arms and narcotics traffickers.
In March this year, police and Assam Rifles had seized 31 AK-47 assault rifles, an LMG, a US-made Browning automatic rifle, more than 800 rounds of ammunition and 32 magazines from a hut near the state's lone domestic airport at Lengpui, just 30-km from capital Aizawl. Three Chakma tribesmen believed to be from Bangladesh were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Law enforcement agencies said later the consignment was meant for the Parbotia Chatagram Jana Sangata Samiti (PCJSS), based in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, and that the arms and ammunition came from Myanmar. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has since taken over the case.
In 2009, Mizoram Police had also seized a consignment of eight M-16 assault rifles, considered one of the largest seizures in the state's history when the quality of arms is taken into account.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Huge cache of arms seized in Mizoram

AIZAWL: In a joint operation, the Mizoram Police and the Assam Rifles, have seized a huge cache of arms from a truck in Serchhip district, police said on Tuesday.

Two suspected arm smugglers were arrested in this connection last evening, the police said.

The seized arms included ten modified assault rifles along with 20 magazines, four Chinese-made rifles along with eight magazines, a light machine gun, 39 grenade shells, one pistol, one telescope used for rifles, a pistol silencer and 532 rounds of live ammunition.

The arms were seized from a truck at a place between Chekkawn and Khawlailung villages on Monday.

Two suspects - Thangdeihtung (30), driver of the truck and Liankhanmang (30), both belonging to the Champai town bordering Myanmar were arrested and booked under relevant sections of the IPC, police added.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

10 percent devices malfunctioned in Mizoram polls

Ten percent of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, which verify to a voter that his or her vote was cast as wished, malfunctioned in the Nov 25 polls in Mizoram, an official said here Monday.

"In all 21 VVPAT machines of 212 placed in 10 constituencies in Aizawl district failed.
Eleven VVPATs failed during routine checkup a day before the assembly polls, 10 more were unsuccessful during the polling day and had to be replaced," Mizoram Chief Electoral officer (CEO) Ashwini Kumar told reporters.

He said that the Electronic Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) delivered the machines to the Mizoram election department two weeks late which, coupled with the breakdown of the devices, led to "administrative challenges".

"The VVPAT is a printer with a drop box attached to EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines), which permits voters to confirm their vote was cast in the way they desired," Kumar said.

He said: "As soon as the voter casts the vote, the VVPAT would show a tiny slip in a glass covered display with the symbol and the candidate name the elector has voted for. The slip after 3 to 4 seconds would automatically drop down into the connected closed box."

A Mizoram election department official said that following several court cases against the EVMs and some controversy over the electronic machine, the VVPAT is being used to satisfy the voters and to remove doubts about the voting machine.

The VVPAT devices were used for the first time in the Noksen by-polls in a Nagaland assembly segment in September and then in 10 of Mizoram's 40 assembly constituencies.

The VVPAT, which was developed by the Hyderabad-based ECIL under the Department of Atomic Energy, are scheduled to be used in select constituencies of the Dec 4 Delhi assembly polls.

An Election Commission of India official said in New Delhi that ECIL engineers had been summoned Dec 3 in view of the malfunctions.

In party mouthpiece, church praise for Mizoram minister

A Mizoram minister had got a "testimonial letter" from his local church that details his work in and for the congregation. What has put him under the scanner is that it was published, in toto, in his party's local mouthpiece during campaigning.

Home Minister R Lalzirliana has not only found himself the subject of an ongoing probe into whether he violated the model code of conduct, but earned a subtle rebuke from Mizoram's largest Christian denomination, the Presbyterian Church.

Candidates and political leaders in Christian-dominated Mizoram often flaunt their credentials as men and women of faith. Pamphlets about most candidates often detail their respective standing in their local churches, but these are usually paraphrased.

The publication of the incumbent home minister's testimonial letter, however, was printed in full, complete with the letterhead of the Armed Veng North Presbyterian Church and signatures of the congregation's leaders.

A copy of the church testimonial, which details how the minister teaches Bible classes on Sundays and is financing seven Christian missionaries, appeared in the monthly Congress mouthpiece Tawi, also the name of his constituency.

Based on a complaint against this, the Mizoram poll office has initiated an inquiry under code-of-conduct violation rules and forwarded the findings to the Election Commission, whose reply is awaited as of now.

"We have simply forwarded the findings to the EC. As of now, we ourselves do not yet know which code-of-conduct provisions may have been violated and are awaiting the EC's instructions," said joint chief electoral officer H Lalengmawia at a press conference he addressed with CEO Ashwani Kumar this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Presbyterian Church has issued a public statement as the issue became widely known. In the statement issued late last week in the name of the church's top functionary, Moderator Rev Lalramliana Pachuau, it said, "A testimonial letter is issued to those congregation members who are temporarily attending another congregations' services for a temporary period. It is meant to be used between congregations, and should not be used to further an individual's interest, or to further political ambitions by its use as a means to advertise one's credentials."

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Most peaceful elections ever in Mizoram

AIZAWL, Nov 29 – Mizoram had gone to the Assembly elections on November 25 without any untoward incident, save for a couple of EVM technical snags. The November 25 Mizoram poll was billed as the most ever peaceful Assembly elections in the history of the state by observers, thanks to the Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF), the church-sponsored state election watchdog.

Mizoram Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashwani Kumar has expressed gratitude to the people, churches and NGOs, especially the state election watchdog, for all their concerted efforts in ensuring fair and peaceful election.

“No problem was witnessed which could perturb the election across the state, and was successfully completed under peaceful atmosphere, which was really appreciable,” the CEO said.

During this electioneering, no political parties used loud speakers, no public feasting was held by candidates or by parties, and minimum number of posters were seen pasted on walls. Candidates and political parties had strictly adhered to the code of conduct laid by the Mizoram election watchdog.

Three months before the poll, the MPF had asked all the political parties not to set up any ‘campaign office’ in connection with the upcoming Assembly elections in the state. However, door to door campaign was allowed till ten days before the election.

The MPF was floated by the Synod, the largest church body in Mizoram as an election watchdog. It also had informed all the political parties in the state to take steps in accordance with the model code of conduct framed by the Election Commission of India. It, however, opposed any agitation by any group or community that could have disturbed the preparation for the Assembly elections.

Three months before the elections, the MPF had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with major political parties in Mizoram so that free and fair elections could be held. The MoU was nothing but a general understanding for cooperation by the political parties with the MPF.

The parties, which had signed the MoU with the local election watchdog, are the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Mizo Peoples Convention (MPC), Zoram National Party (ZNP), Mizo National Front (MNF) and the BJP.

There were about 27 rules made by the MPF for the political parties to abide. Among these one was that the political parties should only make an election manifesto which they could implement. If any political party violated any one of the 27 points, the MPF would make that party ‘invalid’.

Again, the state’s corruption watchdog, the People’s Right to Information and Development Implementing Society of Mizoram (PRISM) had also carried out its spadework as to what extent the present Congress government had implemented the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) election manifesto of 2008.

Like in the previous 2008 Assembly elections, the PRISM had declared that as soon as the date and time of 2013 state Assembly elections were declared, it would have temporal halt on its ‘anti corruption’ campaign but would start an exclusive study of the background of different candidates in different respects and expose the same before the public.

In case of any faulty or wrong information in the nomination paper (self declared affidavit) filed for the assembly election, the PRISM had decided to take stern measure against the candidate to bring right judgement over the case. The watchdog had further requested any interested person to report themselves to the PRISM office if they wished to talk about the status of implementation of the election manifesto by the present government.

32,429 officials cast votes through postal ballot

New Delhi, Nov 29 : A total of 32,429 government officials, who will be on election duty Dec 4, have cast their votes through postal ballots till Thursday evening, an election commission official said.

Of the government officials, more than 25,220 civil defence personnel and 6,070 policemen had cast their votes since Nov 24 when the postal ballot process began.

"This year, we have a record voting by government officials through postal ballot in comparison to 1,600 people in the 2008 assembly elections. The postal ballot process will continue till Dec 1," said Ankur Garg, chief nodal officer at the Delhi election office.

"We have maintained a database of those who are on election duty and they were provided Form 12 to express their interest in voting for the elections," he added.

The entire process has been videographed and all political parties have been kept in the loop, said the officer.

Concerted efforts have been taken this time to ensure maximum participation of those on election duty, he said.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Mizoram police nab murder suspect

AIZAWL, Nov 27 : Assistance from the commercial sex workers helped Mizoram police to nab a criminal. “With the help of some commercial sex workers here police are said to have arrested a murder suspect, whose search had been on”, the news report said, adding, “A heavy criminal case has been registered”, quoting Joseph Lalchhuana, SP, CID (Crime).

Consequence upon the help rendered by the women on the street, Aizawl Police Station is now known to keep proper record of the details of taxis on service at night in the city, which is done to prevent any untoward incident upon the commercial sex workers, locally known as KS, the report quoted the police officer as saying.
The story of the prostitutes helping the police in tracking the criminal was reported few days ago in the programme of “One Day Workshop for creating Awareness to prevent and combat Trafficking of Women and Children for Commercial Sex Exploitation”, which was held at I&PR Auditorium.
One of the presenters of papers in the said programme, Joseph Lalchhuana, SP, CID (Crime) mentioned that recent study shows that the commercial sex workers are becoming more concern over their personal security these days.

The SP, CID (Crime) shared that the police had received a complaint over a death of one woman, following which vigorous effort was made to nab the criminal, in the midst of which one commercial sex worker, her face and neck left with marks over painful hits, came to Aizawl Police Station one morning.
It was learnt, he continued, that the prostitute who came to the police station that morning had encountered an unfortunate incident in a jungle when her customer, unwilling to pay money, strangled her in order to kill her.

The mischievous man left her, thinking she was dead. But the woman regained consciousness at dawn, and came to the Police Station for help. The marks of bite left on the neck of the murdered woman and the dental casting of the arrested man matched well, thus the criminal identified and thereby a heavy criminal case registered against him, the SP narrated.

104-yr old woman casts vote in Champhai

Aizawl: A 104-year-old woman became the oldest voter in the election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly, for which polling was held on Monday.

Kimchawngi exercised franchise in the North East Khawdungsei-II polling station for Lengteng constituency in Champhai district, poll officials said.

She was one of the first voters to turn up today.

Another elderly who cast vote today was Lianheli (103) who exercised her franchise in the Baktawng Tlangnuam polling station, the village occupied by members of the Chana's sect, whose leader Ziona is the head of the largest family in the world with more than 160 members.

State election department officials said there were two polling stations which achieved 100 per cent polling.

Hlumte polling station in South Mizoram's Lunglei (East) constituency, which has 102 voters, achieved 100 per cent polling while another polling station in Tawitawkawn, with only 47 voters also achieved cent per cent polling.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Mizoram Assembly election: 64 per cent polling reported till 1 pm

Sixty-four per cent polling has been reported in Mizoram till 1 pm with no reports of any untoward incident.

Polling to elect a new Assembly in Mizoram began at 7 am with the main contenders - ruling Congress and opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance comprising MNF, Mizoram People's Conference and Maraland Democratic Alliance - contesting at all 40 seats.

All the seats are reserved for ST nominees, except Lunglei South which is for general candidates. Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla of the Congress and all his 11 ministers are among the 142 candidates in fray.

Women outnumber men by a margin of 9,806 in the electorate of 6,908,60. While there are 3,50,333 women in the electorate, male voters count 3,40,527.

Chief Minister's brother and Parliamentary Secretary Lal Thanzara who cast his vote in his home constituency Aizawl North 3 predicted 28 seats for the Congress.

For the first time in the country, a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be tried in this election on a larger scale, in 10 constituencies. It was first experimented in an Assembly bypoll in Nagaland in September.

Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla (Congress) is contesting from two constituencies - Serchhip, his home turf, and neighbouring Hrangturzo, while opposition MNF leader and former Chief Minister Zoramthanga (MNF) is trying his luck from Tuipui East bordering Myanmar.

The Congress, which had won 32 seats in 2008, has fielded 31 of the sitting MLAs. Only Nirupam Chakma was replaced by B D Chakma, chief executive member of the Chakma Autonomous District Council.

There are six women candidates - three fielded by BJP, one each by Congress and MNF and one rebel MNF candidate.

There are 1,126 polling stations in the state, of which 94, mostly in border areas, have been identified as 'critical' where security has been beefed up.

An additional 31 companies of central para-military forces and state police of neighbouring states have been deployed to oversee the polls apart from seven armed battalions of the state police.

Security has been tightened all along the Manipur border as also along the unfenced 64-km border near the tri-junction of Mizoram, Tripura and Bangladesh in Mamit district.

Of the 40 candidates fielded by the MNF, MDA which is a senior partner of the MDA, is contesting at 31 seats, the MPC and the MDF have fielded candidates in eight and one constituencies respectively.

Other contesting parties are Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP, 38 seats), BJP (17), NCP (two) and Jai Maha Bharath Party (one). There are four independent candidates.

Myanmarese national arrested for carrying cash during election

AIZAWL: A Myanmarese businessman was on Monday arrested at the border village of Zokhawthar in Mizoram for carrying cash more than the permissible limit set by the Election Commission.

The person was arrested as he was carrying Rs 18 lakh which is against the Election Commission directive, which prohibits carrying over Rs 50,000 in cash, district magistrate and district election officer Lalthangpuia Sailo said.

"The arrested person claimed that he did not keep the cash for campaigning but had collected it from the traders who took his commodities on credit," Sailo said.

Zokhawthar is a trading centre in the state for carrying out Indo-Myanmar border trade.

The matter was being investigated, he said. Assembly polls are being held in Mizoram on Monday to elect representatives to the 40-member House.

Voting underway in Mizoram

People stand in queue outside a polling booth in Mizoram

Aizawl: Polling to elect a new Assembly in Mizoram began at seven this morning with the main contenders - ruling Congress and opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance comprising MNF, Mizoram People's Conference and Maraland Democratic Alliance - contesting at all 40 seats.

All the seats are reserved for ST nominees, except Lunglei South which is for general candidates. Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla of the Congress and all his 11 ministers are among the 142 candidates in fray.

Women outnumber men by a margin of 9,806 in the electorate of 6,908,60. While there are 3,50,333 women in the electorate, male voters count 3,40,527.

For the first time in the country, a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be tried in this election on a larger scale, in 10 constituencies. It was first experimented in an Assembly bypoll in Nagaland in September.

Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla (Congress) is contesting from two constituencies - Serchhip, his home turf, and neighbouring Hrangturzo, while opposition MNF leader and former Chief Minister Zoramthanga (MNF) is trying his luck from Tuipui East bordering Myanmar.

The Congress, which had won 32 seats in 2008, has fielded 31 of the sitting MLAs. Only Nirupam Chakma was replaced by BD Chakma, chief executive member of the Chakma Autonomous District Council.

There are six women candidates - three fielded by BJP, one each by Congress and MNF and one rebel MNF candidate.

There are 1,126 polling stations in the state, of which 94, mostly in border areas, have been identified as 'critical' where security has been beefed up.

An additional 31 companies of central para-military forces and state police of neighbouring states have been deployed to oversee the polls apart from seven armed battalions of the state police.

Security has been tightened all along the Manipur border as also along the unfenced 64-km border near the tri-junction of Mizoram, Tripura and Bangladesh in Mamit district. Of the 40 candidates fielded by the MNF, MDA which is a senior partner of the MDA, is contesting at 31 seats, the MPC and the MDF have fielded candidates in eight and one constituencies respectively.

Other contesting parties are Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP, 38 seats), BJP (17), NCP (two) and Jai Maha Bharath Party (one). There are four independent candidates.

Mizoram votes today, 36.63 pc votes recorded till 11 AM

Polling began for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly at 7 AM today with 36.63 per cent votes cast in the first four hours, state joint chief electoral officer H Lalengmawia said.

Brisk polling was reported from many polling stations in Aizawl where long queues were seen in front of the booths in Mission Veng and Thakthing areas even before the elections began.

Elderly men and women were brought to the polling stations by their family members to exercise franchise in the early hours.

Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla cast his vote with his wife Lal Riliani at Zarkawt-II polling station which is in the building of Government Combined Middle School at Babutlang area in Zarkawt locality.

The Chief Minister, belonging to Congress, and all his 11 ministers are among the 142 candidates in fray.

Speaking to reporters after exercising franchise at 9:45 AM, Lal Thanhawla said he was confident of retaining power in the state.

"I have high hopes that we will retain power with a thumping majority by bagging the same number of seats (32) if not more," he said.

The people want Congress to be in power for its developmental work and running a clean government, he said.

The atmosphere in front of the polling stations was low-key and less festive due to strict diktats of the Mizoram People's Forum (MPF), the church sponsored election watchdog.

Ruling Congress and opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance comprising MNF, Mizoram People's Conference and Maraland Democratic Alliance are contesting all the 40 seats.

Former chief minister Zoramthanga, president of the MNF was in his constituency - East Tuipui, in Mizoram-Myanmar border Champhai district and could not be contacted.

Women outnumber men by a margin of 9,806 in the electorate of 6,908,60. While there are 3,50,333 women in the electorate, male voters number 3,40,527.

Security has been tightened all along the Manipur border as also along the unfenced 64-km border near the tri-junction of Mizoram, Tripura and Bangladesh in Mamit district.

There are 1,126 polling stations in the state, of which 94 have been identified as 'critical'.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

MZP demands completion of Bru repatriation

Even as the Bru refugees who are now camped in Tripura have been allowed to cast their votes outside Mizoram in the ensuing assembly elections, Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the largest students’ body in the State, has reiterated their fervent wishes afresh that the process of Bru repatriation be completed before the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, so that the former exercise their franchise inside Mizoram.

In a press conference, MZP president Lalhmachhuana said, “Regarding the Bru refugees who have been for the last 15 years creating problems from outside Mizoram to the Mizos here, we find it utmost necessary to tie the last knot (indicating completion of repatriation process), and so we want conclusion.”

“It is apparent that as long as the Bru refugees are included in the Mizoram electoral roll, the Election Commission of India would like to arrange so as to ensure they exercise their franchise conveniently and fully, because of which we want immediate and complete repatriation of genuine residents of Mizoram, and this simultaneously do away with vote casting outside the State”, MZP president said.

Adding that MZP plans to make a move as the situation demands Lalhmachhuana said, “Mizoram government is not in a debt of allotting voting right to those people who do not want to be a good citizen and moreover who resist to come back despite repeated calls.”

“MZP shall take every possible step in a vigorous way so that those not complying with arrangement made for them get deleted from the Electoral Roll”, he added. Also talking about the demand of Gorkhalis in Mizoram for the constitutional status of Other Backward Class (OBC), MZP said that they will not in any way agree with the same.

‘We shall not in any way allow the same to be materialized”, MZP president said, adding, “What the Indian constitution referred to as OBC are those economically and educationally backward but the Gorkhalis in Mizoram are, being indigenous people, quite high in educational rate as well as well to do economically and in fact, some of them are even better off than the Mizos.”

It is pertinent to note that hundreds of Brus left Mizoram in 1997 and 2009. The first case was triggered when Bru militants murdered two Mizos who were forest guards on October 21, 1997. The second case happened after a 17-year-old Mizo boy was killed by the Brus near Bungthuam village on November 13, 2009. When the Bru left Mizoram they had driven out some Mizos in villages of Sakhan Hill Range in Tripura like Sakhan Serhmun, Sakhan Tlangsang, Sakhan Tualsen and Upper Dosda which had kicked up much ruckus in Mizoram then.

Meanwhile, a couple of years ago, head count conducted by the MBDPF found that there had been 31,703 Brus in the relief camps belonging to 5,448 families who were bona fide residents of Mizoram.

The repatriation of the 1997 batch of Bru refugees was underway until it stalled by the November 13 killing.

In the year 2011, conglomeration of major NGOs in Mizoram had submitted a joint memorandum to the then Union Home minister P Chidambaram to rehabilitate the displaced Mizos in Tripura and stall the ongoing repatriation of Brus from Tripura to Mizoram. The memorandum was signed by representatives of four large NGOs in the state--the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the MZP, the Mizoram Upa Pawl (MUP) or elders association and the Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP) or the women›s federation and four political parties.

Man who sacrificed CM’s chair for Mizo peace

AIZAWL: At 71, Mizoram CM Lal Thanhawla is surprisingly energetic. At the close of a gruelling campaign, he has touched virtually every corner of his state. The party's star campaigner, much of his exertion was because every party candidate wanted him to address at least one rally in his constituency. "I hardly come to Aizawl these days. I have to visit all 40 constituencies," he says.

Born to a staunch Christian family in 1942, Lal Thanhawla is remembered as the man who sacrificed his chair for peace in Mizoram. When the then underground MNF leader Laldenga signed the 1986 Mizo accord, he quit as CM to allow MNF to form an interim government.

He has the Gandhi family's confidence and not only helped end the state's insurgency problem but also ensured the Congress fl ag flies high in this hill state. Lal Thanhawla is contesting from Serchhip and Hrangturzo. "The church is happy, people are happy there is no corruption and we have brought development. The New Land Use Policy (NLUP) is a hit and helped farmers and the poor," he says brimming with confidence.

The land scheme notwithstanding, the CM is not leaving anything to chance. Aware that he is of the fight the threeparty opposition Mizo Democratic Alliance is putting up. Although Congress swept the 2008 polls winning 32 of the 40 seats, things are not as rosy, at least in Aizawl, this time. The city alone accounts for 11 seats. "All parties now use NLUP. Those who doubted it when we launched say they will improve it," he says.

He attacks the opposition alliance saying: "They were together earlier and then broke. They are friends again for power. Hope they realize their mistake." In 1998, the Mizo National Front-Mizoram People's Conference formation won a landslide.

Besides the two, the alliance now has the Maraland Democratic Front.

Audit trail system in polls today

Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla of the Congress and all his 11 ministers are among 142 candidates who will be contesting for the 40-member Assembly election on Monday.
For the first time in the country, voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be used in this election in a larger scale, in 10 constituencies.
It was first experimented in an Assembly bypoll in Nagaland in September.
The VVPAT is a machine attached to EVMs which allows voters to check if their votes are cast the way they wished.
All the seats in Mizoram are reserved for ST nominees, except Lunglei South which is for general candidates.
Both the ruling Congress and the Opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA), comprising MNF, Mizoram People’s Conference and Maraland Democratic Alliance, have fielded candidates in all the 40 seats.
Mr Thanhawla (Congress) is contesting from two constituencies — Serchhip, his home turf, and neighbouring Hrangturzo — and Opposition MNF leader and former chief minister Zoramthanga (MNF) is trying his luck from Tuipui East bordering Burma.
Speaker R. Romawia and deputy Speaker Johalso are in the fray from Aizawl North-I and Mamit seats respectively. The Congress, which had won 32 seats in 2008 has fielded 31 of the sitting MLAs.

Mizoram: Voting begins, close fight between Cong and combined oppn

Aizawl: Balloting began at 7 a.m. Monday for the 40-member Mizoram legislative assembly, an official said. Over 6.8 lakh voters are eligible to vote in the exercise to elect 40 members from among 142 candidates. Counting will be held Dec 9.

A newly-designed device, the Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system, is being used in 10 constituencies to help voters confirm that their votes were cast in favour of the candidate and party they opted for.

AFP AFP The main fight is between the ruling Congress and the combined opposition led by the Mizo National Front (MNF). Veteran Congress leader and the Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is hoping to return to power on the basis of the developmental works completed in the last five years.

He is contesting from two Assembly seats. The three party opposition alliance led by the MNF is banking on anti-incumbency that according to them will help them capture the power.

Former chief minister and the MNF chief Zoramthanga is leading the opposition Mizo Democratic Alliance (MDA) against the ruling Congress. The Christian and tribal dominated state witnessed a very peaceful campaigning under the watchful eyes of the most powerful church. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi have also campaigned for the party in Mizoram.

The BJP, which has no base in the state, has also fielded 11 candidates. The election is being fought mainly on local issues. The ruling Congress is highlighting its achievements while the opposition is accusing the ruling party of large scale corruption.

Mizoram Chief Electoral officer Ashwini Kumar said, “All preparations are almost complete for the polls. Polling officials accompanied by security forces have reached their polling stations.”

According to Mizoram Director General of Police (DGP) Amulya Patnaik, not a single untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state during campaign.

The Mizoram poll was earlier scheduled for December 4 and the counting was scheduled for December 8. But the church requested the Election Commission to change the dates allowing the voters to go to church on Sunday and to celebrate a local festival.

The counting will take place on December 9. Statistics Total Seats - 40 Total Number of Voters - 6.91 Lakh Total Number of Polling Booths - 1126 Result - December 9

Mizoram polls Today, VVPAT machines introduced for first time

Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla of the Congress and all his 11 ministers are among 142 candidates who will be contesting for the 40-member Assembly election on Monday.
For the first time in the country, voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system will be used in this election in a larger scale, in 10 constituencies. It was first experimented in an assembly bypoll in Nagaland in September. The VVPAT is a machine attached to EVMs which allows voters to check if their votes are cast the way they wished.
All the seats in Mizoram are reserved for ST nominees, except Lunglei South which is for general candidates. Both the ruling Congress and the opposition Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA) comprising MNF, Mizoram People's Conference and Maraland Democratic Alliance have fielded candidates in all the 40 seats.

Mizoram polls tomorrow, VVPAT machines introduced for first time

Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla (Congress) is contesting from two constituencies Serchhip, his home turf, and neighbouring Hrangturzo and opposition MNF leader and former Chief Minister Zoramthanga (MNF) is trying his luck from Tuipui East bordering Myanmar. Speaker R Romawia and Deputy Speaker Johalso are in the fray from Aizawl North -I and Mamit seats respectively.
The Congress which had won 32 seats in 2008 has fielded 31 of the sitting MLAs. Only Nirupam Chakma was replaced by B D Chakma, chief executive member of the Chakma Autonomous District Council. There are six women candidates -- three fielded by BJP, one each by Congress and MNF and one rebel MNF candidate.
There are 6,90,860 voters and 1,126 polling stations in the state, of which 94, mostly in border areas, have been identified as 'critical' where security has been beefed up. An additional 31 companies of central para-military forces and state police of neighbouring states have been deployed for the polls besides seven armed battalions of the state police to ensure free and fair election.
Security along the Manipur border from where militants from the neighbouring state might enter the state was tightened as along the unfenced 64 km border near the tri-junction of Mizoram-Tripura-Bangladesh in Mamit district. Not a single incident of violence was reported during electioneering in the state.
Of the 40 candidates fielded by the MNF, MDA which is a senior partner of the MDA, is contesting in 31 seats, the MPC and the MDF have fielded candidates in eight and one constituencies respectively. Other contesting parties are Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP, 38 seats), BJP (17), NCP (two) and Jai Maha Bharath Party (one).
There are four independent candidates. The portfolios and the names of ministers in the fray are Home Minister R Lalzirliana, Finance Minister H Liansailova, Tourism Minister S Hiato, Transport Minister P C Zoram Sangliana, Revenue Minister J H Rothuama, Education Minister Lalsawta, Health Minister Lalrinliana Sailo, Sports Minister Zodintluanga, Environment and Forests Minister H Rohluna, Minister of State for A H and Veterinary Nihar Kanti Chakma and MoS for Social Welfare P C Lalthanliana.
MPC president Lalhmangaiha Sailo, son of former chief minister Brig T Sailo, is contesting from Aizawl East I and ZNP chief Lalduhawma is fighting from his home turf Aizawl West II and Kolasib on Mizoram-Assam border.

Countdown for the D Day as campaign ends in Mizoram

Aizawl : Finally the D Day has arrived in the north-eastern Indian state Mizoram for the polls with the campaigning drew to a close amid a hue and cry about armed gunmen being sighted in one of the sensitive constituencies, Chalfilh, which borders Manipur.

Though, the state has been known for its peaceful election campaigns for last several years due to the interference of Church. The voting takes place in the state on Monday for 40 seats which will be contested among 142 candidates. Total number of voters are 6.86 lakh including 3.49 lakh women.

With high profile campaigning including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, the ruling Congress made the New Land Use Policy its main poll agenda.

Congress has accused Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) for involving in activities with militant. ZNP, however, denied the allegation and held Congress responsible for this. ZNP leaders said that being in power Congress should have arrested the gunmen if there were any.

Meanwhile, the Mizroam Democratic Alliance (MDA) of the three Opposition parties —the Mizo National Front (MNF), the Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) and the Maraland Democratic Front (MDF) — has promised the voters a special economic development programme in the state if they are voted to power.

Besides this, Mizoram has set an example of violence free campaigning, with no incident being reported for the 25 November Assembly elections. “For the last several years, elections in Mizoram have always been more or less peaceful. This year during campaign not a single incident of violence has been reported. It has been very peaceful,” said state DGP Amulya Patnaik in Aizawl.

One of the main reasons behind the violence free poll campaign is the strict watch kept by the powerful Presbyterian Church controlled Mizoram People’s Forum (MPF). “We don’t support any kind of violence. We have the MPF platform at state level, district level and at local level, which keeps a strict watch on any kind of wrong doings and any attempt to instigate violence,” MPF president Rev Lalramlian Pachuau, said.

However, even three decades ago, the scenario in Mizoram, which had a history of insurgency since the early sixties, was not the same. Violence and bloodshed was a common sight during elections.

Mizoram started become a peaceful state after the signing of the peace accord late eighties, which brought an end to insurgency in the state, bordered by Bangladesh on one side and Myanmar on the other.

Mizoram polls: Chana sect voters free to vote anyone sans diktat

Aizawl: For long Mizoram political parties have tried to persuade members of the Chana’s sect led by Ziona to vote en bloc for them, but without success, in their village in the Tuikum assembly seat in Serchhip district.

C Lalrinthanga, a well-known figure of the sect said that Baktawng Tlangnuam village with a population of 3,000 is like any other Mizo village where all the political parties, excluding the BJP have units. Poll moment.

AFP Poll moment. AFP “There are political party units like the Congress, the Mizo National Front, the Mizoram People s Conference and the Zoram Nationalist Party and members of the sect can support any of the political parties,” Lalrinthanga said. He said that Ziona has never asked his followers to support a particular party or candidate in the elections.

“Everyone is free to choose his own party and support any candidate,” he said. Lalrinthanga said that there has never been any diktat from the leader of the Chanas, Ziona, known as the ‘Hotupa’. Party units in Baktawng Tlangnuam village have been canvassing for different political parties like any other in the rest of the state.

Lalrinthanga said that no candidate or political party has succeeded in persuading Ziona to make villagers vote en bloc for them and the voters of the village continued to exercise their franchise freely and without fear or particular favour.

There are two polling stations in the village and the total number of votes is 1,136 as per the last voters lists published on 16 August. The ruling Congress has pitted the sitting legislator K Lianzuala against Lalrinawma of the opposition Mizo National Front.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Mizoram polls: Lal Thanhawla in advantageous position in Serchhip

Aizawl: With Mizoram's Serchhip district reaping benefits of central and state socio-economic welfare schemes, Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla seems to be in an advantageous position both in Serchhip and Hrangturzo seats from where he is fighting the November 25 elections.
Serchhip district, known as the 'heart of Mizoram' has Serchhip, Tuikum and Hrangturzo assembly seats. The district has around 44,688 voters, which includes 22,023 male voters and 22,665 female voters.
Lal Thanhawla has won from Serchhip, his home turf, for five times since 1984, losing only once in 1998 when the Mizo National Front candidate, a retired PWD engineer-in-chief K Thangzuala, defeated him by 696 votes.

Serchhip district, known as the 'heart of Mizoram' has Serchhip, Tuikum and Hrangturzo assembly seats.

The chief minister wrested his seat back in 2003 and retained it in 2008 defeating Lalramzauva, the Zoram Nationalist Party and MPC combine nominee by a margin of 952 votes, while the MNF candidate R Lalhnuna came third.
With the district, especially the Serchhip constituency getting preference for development projects and schemes, the socio-economic condition has changed enormously in the last few years.
Of 33 departments in the district, 16 are implementing centrally sponsored schemes.
Schemes such as the Indira Awaas Yojana to MNREGA to the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidhyuti Karan Yojna have changed the face of Sercchip, which was once known as backward.
"I had no means of constructing a house of my own. I received an assistance of Rs 48,500 under IAY in 2012-2013," says Pi Mardawhi, a 55-year-old widow.
A 20-feet suspension bridge over river Tuikum between Serchhip and Hriangtlang was constructed in 2011 under the MNREGA scheme.
The bridge is a lifeline for around 110 families of Hriangtlang village for collecting daily necessities and ration from Serchhip town across the river Tuikum, which floods every monsoon.
Apart from central schemes, the New Land Use Policy (NLUP) the brainchild of the Congress government in the state, also seems to be a game-changer in the district.
The programme provides a source of livelihood replacing unproductive and ecologically harmful jhumming and by preserving the forest and rich bio-diversity of the state.
"NLUP is more than just a populist programme. It has been fine-tuned to suit the people s needs toward self-dependence," says a state Congress leader.
Pi Nukungi, who rears pigs, after getting funds under the NLUP scheme has built a new sty and reconstructed and expanded the existing one earning about Rs 36,000 per month.
The opposition have alleged that it is Congress supporters who only benefit from the schemes, which has been denied by the Congress leadership.
This year in Serchhip, Lal Thanhwala will face C Lalramzauva of MNF, PB Lalsawmilana of ZNP and besides independents.
In the Harnturzo assembly segment, he will take on sitting MPC candidate, Lalthansanga, besides candidates from ZNP, Jai Maha Bharat Party and an independent.

Mizoram's diverse modes of transport for poll officials

Aizawl: From heavy vehicles to two wheelers, small boats and trekking on foot, all modes are being used to ferry over 4,000 polling officials over topographically diverse Mizoram, where Assembly elections will be held on November 25.

"For transport of polling officials we are using heavy motor vehicles, light motor vehicles, medium motor vehicles, two wheelers, dinghies (small boats)and in inaccessible places election officials have to walk on foot," the state's Chief Electoral Officer Ashwini Kumar said.

Over 1,800 vehicles, including 229 buses, 12 dinghies will be used as transport, while two-wheelers and trekking will be the norm at 27 places.

"There are places which are accessible only by river and you don't have bridges, so in those places dinghies will be used," Mr Kumar said.

The remotest parts of the state are the districts of Lawngtlai and Saiha, where boats will be used.

The state, spread over 21,000 sq km, is known as the land of valleys, lakes, rivers and rolling hills, with around 21 major hill ranges or peaks running across its length and breadth.

The Election Commission of India is also deploying 5,806 security personnel across eight districts of the state.

With over 10 lakh population, around 6.86 lakh enlisted voters will exercise their franchise for electing 40 members of the House from among 142 candidates.

The overall budget for the elections is Rs. 24.3 crore.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Mizoram

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will campaign in Mizoram Thursday, party sources said.

Sources said Rahul Gandhi will hold two public meetings -- Kahrawt Ground in district Champhai and Tumpui Field in district Kolasib.

Polls in the northeastern state are Nov 25, while counting is Dec 9.

Mizoram polls: VVPATs to be used on large-scale for the 1st time

Aizawl: With voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) being used on a large-scale for the first time in the country in the Mizoram Assembly polls, the Elections Commission is leaving no stone unturned to make it easily accessible to voters.’

The VVPAT is a machine attached to EVMS which allows voters to verify that their vote has been cast in the way they wished.

As soon as the voter casts his vote, the VVPAT will show a small slip in a glass covered screen with the symbol and the candidate he has voted for in a form of a small ballot paper, which after 3 to 4 seconds would automatically fall into an attached closed box.

The VVPATs are being used in only ten assembly constituencies of Aizwal district of the total 40 assembly segments.

The VVPAT system was first experimented in the Noksen Assembly bypoll recently in Nagaland and Mizoram would be the first state where it would be introduced on a large scale.

Chief Electoral officer, Ashwini Kumar, under whose supervisions the elections are being conducted, is leaving no stone unturned to make voters comfortable with the use of VVPATS.

"The VVPAT is a new thing which is being used for the first time. There are lot of people who are not aware of it. We have trained our polling officials in all these 10 assembly segments properly," Kumar said here.

Mizoram film industry pins hope on new government

Swamped by Korean films dubbed in Mizo language, the film industry in Mizoram hopes that whichever party comes to power after polls should allocate more funds for its development.

The chorus for more funds for Mizo films had gained momentum after a movie by independent film-maker Mapui Chungwatha, 'Khawnglung Run', was selected for screening in the Goa International Film Festival.

"If a film-maker wants to make a film he doesn’t get funds. Neither the government nor any department comes forward to help film-makers. So from where will good films come?" Mapui Chungwatha told PTI here.

The dubbed Korean films and serials are a mode of entertainment for thousands of Mizos, who hardly get to see a Mizo movie or a serial in the two main local cable channels.

The main reasons for the huge popularity of Korean films are their easy accessibility and similarity in facial features and some traditions in Korean soaps.

In last year’s budget, Rs 20 lakh was earmarked for the promotion of visual arts and film industry by the Mizoram government, which the film-makers feel is not enough.

"What can a person do with just Rs 10 lakh for film making? I used my own money of around Rs 10.6 lakh for making 'Khawnglung Run'. From that you can understand how insufficient the money granted by the government is," said Mapui.

With actors and part time actors working outside Mizoram due to lack of opportunity, the ailing film industry has been producing only one or two films on an average every year.

The fact that Mizoram does not have any cinema halls save one or two low capacity 3D halls that have come up in last few months, reflects the sorry state of the film industry in the state.

"Even if you make films using your own money where will you screen it as there are no cinema halls in Mizoram. So if you can’t screen a movie where from the producers will get their money back?" questioned Awmpuia, president, Mizoram Producers Guild.

"Whichever the party comes to power we hope that they will allocate more funds for the film industry and will seriously take up policies on development of theatres and other infrastructure for its development and growth," said Awmpui.

He noted that growth of the film industry in turn will create both direct and indirect employment for the youth of Mizoram.

Taking note of the growing influence of Korean films in the state, Information and Public Relations Department in coordination with Mizoram Film Development Society, have started providing basic training to aspiring film-makers by organising seminars and workshops.

"The main problem here is of marketing a film as it’s a small state. But we have plans to make Mizo films and then dub it in other regional languages, which in turn will not only increase revenue, but also help showcase our art, culture and talent," said Lousie Halwar, an official of Mizoram Film Society.

The ruling Congress in its manifesto has promised that if it comes to power again it will construct theatres for screening Mizo films.

"In Mizoram we have a small budget. So it’s not possible for us to allocate huge funds. But yes, if we come to power we will construct film theatres for screening Mizo films and develop the film industry as a whole," said Lalthanzara, parliamentary secretary to the chief minister.

Slamming the Congress regime for not doing much, the main opposition alliance MDA led by MNF said that if it comes to power it will implement youth commission programs throughout the state for the development of films, art and culture with the active participation of Mizo youths.

Election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly will be held on November 25.

Mizoram's Gorkhas may go the NOTA way over OBC status fight

Gorkhas are said to be weighing up the NOTA option provided by the Election Commission in Mizoram's Assembly elections, slated for November 25.
The Gorkhas, who are one of the largest minorities in the state, are deprived of OBC status through what they say is the step-motherly attitude of the government and Mizos.

"The Gorkhas in Mizoram deserve OBC status. We have been fighting for it for a long time. We want OBC status for securing central government jobs. We are not interested in OBC status for state government jobs," said H.B. Thapa, Mizoram Gorkha Joint Action Committee chairman.

Gorkhas are now said to be weighing up the NOTA option provided by the Election Commission in the November 25 Assembly elections

"So this year, the Gorkhas in the state might use the NOTA option to register their grievances," he added.
There are around 25,000 Gorkhas in the state out of which 9771 are eligible voters. The Gorkhas are present in 23 of the 40 assembly segments in the state.
"All state governments since 1987 have denied us our rights. Now if our community decides to go for the NOTA option then it is only due to their apathy," said Mahesh Rai, a Gorkha leader.
The Election Commission has given the NOTA option - meaning 'none of the above' - for voters unhappy with the candidates, or those who do not want to vote for any political party.
The present Congress government formed a committee which gave a report accepting the demand of the Gorkhas for OBC status for central government jobs. But nothing has changed since then.
Gorkhas started settling in the late 1880s and had backward community status when Mizoram was a part of Assam.
But when Mizoram became a separate state in 1987, the backward status was taken away and Gorkhas were made a 'general category' group, denying them the special privileges that they used to enjoy while applying for jobs in either the Central or the state government.

Polling in Bru relief camps peaceful

Aizawl: Polling in the six Bru relief camps in North Tripura, for the coming election to the 40-member Mizoram Assembly on November 25, was completely peaceful on Tuesday where 23 percent of votes were polled at four PM, state Chief Electoral Officer Ashwani Kumar said.

Kumar told a news agency that the polls were held under strict supervision of a special observer and seven other observers and conducted by 86 polling officials including six nodal officers.

Three platoons of armed policemen were deployed to ensure peaceful polls and maintain law and order in the camps.

He said that the polling, conducted through postal ballots, would continue tomorrow and a high poll turnout was expected.

The 11,612-strong Bru electorate in the relief camps would be exercising franchise through postal ballots in the camps for the Mizoram polls.

The polling party, comprising 74 desk officials and seven nodal officers went to Tripura via Zomuantlang hamlet as the activists of the Mizo Students Union (MSU) organised a blockade at the Mizoram-Tripura border river Langkaih in Kanhmun village on Sunday.

The students objected to the conduct of polling in the camps by sending polling officials from Mizoram as they alleged that the Brus refused to return to the state despite several pleas from the centre, state government and the civil societies.

Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath, while visiting Mizoram recently said that Bru voters lodged in the Tripura camps were allowed to exercise franchise in the camps in accordance with the Delhi High Court order in 1999.

Monday, November 18, 2013

After 20 years, 1,000 Bru families will exercise their franchise from home soil

Dhananjay Reang will exercise his franchise on home soil after 20 years on November 25 when Mizoram goes to polls. Thousand others, lodged in six relief camps in Tripura, are not so lucky enough, at least for now.

Some 37,000 Brus of Mizoram had fled to Tripura in 1997 in the wake of ethnic riots. What sparked off the animosity was the killing of a Mizo forest guard allegedly by Bru militants. The Brus demand for an autonomous council had also not gone down well with the Mizos viewing it as separatism.
In 1998, Dhananjay had cast vote through postal ballot from a relief camp in Tripura. So did thousands other Bru refugees languishing there. Now he is in Mizoram along with 1,034 Bru families, repatriated by Mizoram government since 2010. Dhananjay and many other Brus had last cast vote from Mizoram in 1993.

“I am very excited about casting my vote on my home soil after such a long time,” Dhananjay told dna. “I pray that everything passes off peacefully,” Dhananjay, a native of Rengdil village in Mamit district, added.

Suryamani Reang, Dhananjay’s friend and a former Bru militant, is equally excited. “Let bygones be bygones. We all must vote for a peaceful future,” he said.

Mizoram has 11,301 Bru voters spread across nine assembly segments in Kolasib, Mamit and Lunglei districts. Those repatriated are now settled in 35 villages. The repatriation process began under a central government package that entailed Rs85,000 as compensation, Rs5,500 for transportation and free ration for a year per family. While a section of those still lodged in the relief camps are excited about their possible return to their native villages, another is not yet convinced about their safety. In 2008, ruling Congress had won all three Bru-dominated Hachhek, Mamit and Dampa seats. Meanwhile, the Mizo Students’ Union (MSU) has threatened to “go to any length” to prevent Bru refugees in Tripura from exercising franchise through postal ballots. It is peeved with a section of the refugees’ refusal to return to Mizoram. The MSU insists that the refugees come to Mizoram and cast their votes.

The students’ body has warned that it will resort to any means to prevent election officials from going to the refugee camps.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Polls just days away, but for candidates in Mizoram, Sunday is still a day of rest

Sunday is for God in Mizoram. Everything else can wait, even campaigning for once-in-five-years assembly elections.

Campaigning for the November 25 polls in Mizoram has entered a crucial phase. But for the people, nothing is more important than sticking to the Sunday routine of going to church. Every other public place too is in shutdown mode.

Almost 87% of Mizoram’s 1.09 million people are Christians. A majority of them are Presbyterians, followed by the Baptists, Catholics and other denominations.

So what do the 138 candidates seeking a berth in the 40-seat assembly do? Go to church, of course, to connect with the electorate spiritually if not to canvass subtly. Some like former chief minister Zoramthanga teaches the ‘Book of Psalms’ at Bible classes every Sunday during church services at Ramhlun, his home locality in Aizawl.

Zoramthanga is president of the Mizo National Front, which has formed the Mizoram Democratic Alliance with two other regional parties. “As true Christians, we cannot ignore our responsibilities toward God,” Zoramthanga said.

Lalduhawma, president of the regional Zoram Nationalist Party, has a similar Sunday assignment in his Cawlhhmun locality, though not regularly.

Mizoram Congress president and chief minister Lal Thanhawla is not a regular Sunday school teacher but he attends church in his Zarkawt neighbourhood whenever he is in town.

Mizos invariably avoid non-church activities on Sundays. This was evident from their protest when the Election Commission scheduled the date of counting of votes on December 8, a Sunday. The counting for Mizoram will now be held on December 9.

Mizoram polls: Political parties use social media to woo voters

Political parties in Mizoram have been using social media and mobile phones to woo voters, especially the youths, for the coming Assembly election to be held on November 25.

Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) chief Lalduhawma has an account on Facebook.

Rothuama Sailo, a close aide of Lalduhawma said a large number of Facebook users have taken to the medium to talk to the ZNP chief and ask him a plethora of questions on how he would govern the state if voted to power.

"We also send the party press releases to local mediapersons through Facebook," Sailo said, adding that the social networking site is so useful that they could issue press statements even while in remote villages. He said that Internet sms service 'way2sms' was also extensively used to send press releases to journalists'.

The ZNP has also used local cable television channels for campaigning as videotapes of the interview of the party chief were sent to different towns to be telecast, he said.

Youth leaders of the ruling Congress and the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) have been fighting the crucial political battle for at least three years, and the battleground was not public meeting but Internet.

Facebook groups like 'Zoram Thlirtu', 'Dingdi', 'Zoram Khawvel' and 'Special Report' have been used by young politicians to put forward their views and the views of their parties and the groups have become arenas for political debate.

One political party even organised training for young party workers on how to use social media to the maximum advantage of the party during the coming Assembly polls. Apart from Lalduhawma, sports minister Zodintluanga has also used Facebook as a medium of reaching out to the people.

The Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA), the alliance of the MNF, the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and the Maraland Democratic Front (MDF) are using SMSes for canvassing.

Mizoram polls: Sonia Gandhi to address people in Lunglei today

Lunglei: Congress President Sonia Gandhi will head to Mizoram on Monday for election campaigning in the state. She will be addressing the crowd in Lunglei.

Mizoram goes to polls on November 25. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is also expected to visit the state later this week.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh campaigned for he party in Mizoram on Saturday. Addressing a rally in Aizawl, he said that the UPA government's policies and programmes for rapid and inclusive growth are showing good results and the country has seen a record average economic growth in the last nine years.
Mizoram polls: Sonia Gandhi to address people in Lunglei today
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi is also expected to visit the state later this week.

"The UPA government's policies and programmes for rapid and inclusive growth are showing good results. We have seen a record average rate of economic growth in the last nine years, which is higher than what the country achieved in any other decade so far," Singh said.

7th Assembly election is a battle between Mizo nationalism and Indian nationalsim: MDA

Newmai News Network

Imphal, Nov 18 : "The forthcoming 7th Mizoram Assembly election will be a landmark in the history of Mizoram general election as it is the battle between the devotees of Mizo nationalism and the leaders who want the Indianisation of Mizo nation", said the joint statement of the Opposition alliance called Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA) formed by Mizo National Front (MNF), Mizoram People's Convention (MPC) and Mizoram Democratic Front (MDF) .

Emphasizing the need for propagation of Mizo nationalism as the only urgent need of the time to safeguard and protect the integrity of Mizoram and the continuity of Mizo as a nation, the MDA said it must win the upcoming Assembly election for the protection and survival of Zo nation (Zo Hnam) for today and tomorrow adding that the upcoming election will be historically an important and memorable event because it is the battle between Mizo nationalism and the leaders who cherish the Indianisation of Mizo nation and its culture.

"We are sure that we will win the election as it is seen practically from the pre-poll development when voting is just next to our door", MDA said.

"The MNF-MPC-MDF alliance comes upon as the realization of the survival of Zo nation is felt much among Churches, NGOs and employees in Mizoram.

As such, the triple alliance will become more successful than the MNF-MPC alliance of 1998 where it won 32 seats out the existing 40 seats in state assembly seats in the ensuing election, as the almighty God has also heard the woes and cry of the people of Mizoram", MNF leader retold from the statement.

MDA alleged Congress party and Zoram nationalist Party (ZNP) of simply blaming the MNF-MPC-MDF alliance as weak, fragile and not properly knitted.

He said that the Congress party and ZNP without being concentrated on their policy and manifesto, have only made an absurd criticism on MNF-MPC-MDF formation to distort the face of the alliance.

The more they attack the alliance, the larger they face the consequences, the MDA said.

MDA further alleged the Congress party and ZNP of making secret alliance between them by jointly castigating the unity of MDA although they do not exposed it outwardly.

However, inspite of bitter opposition and criticism from the two, MDA is cleared about the picture of alliance and it would achieve success in the upcoming election due to the unity felicitated by the formation of alliance, the MDA said.

MDA said the alliance is free from idolatry, spotting 'Tilak' and practice of offering money to financially poor people to tame them by taking the advantage of their poverty.

"As a result, God will lift up MDA to protect God's land His people", MDA added.

The joint statement read out during the press conference affirmed that MDA is trying its best to establish the government adaptable to Zo nations which would protect the religion, culture and tradition of Mizo as enshrined in the constitution of India.

Speaking about the future of ruling Congress government, MDA said the Congress party will face its Waterloo defeat as people declined its continuity because the Congress government is a corrupted one.

"People want to oust the Congress government because it is the government where law breakers are being commemorated.

It is also a government of drug smugglers", MNF leader said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the allegation, ZNP party said that they do not confederate with the Congress party for the upcoming Assembly polls, adding, the accusation made by leaders of MNF-MPC-MDF alliance that ZNP allies with the Congress is unfounded and is a false accusation.

"We also do not bother to comment on whether the alliance of pre-poll alliance of MNF and MPC is good or otherwise", ZNP said.

"We are to play the final match with the Congress party in the forthcoming assembly election" ZNP reiterated.

ZNP also said that the accusation has just been made by some timid MDA leaders and their trickery plan is to arouse party politics.

"Attacking others with false accusation comes out of a mind obsessed with party and the same is which the Church detested", the ZNP party added.