Lesson For BJP In Poll-Bound Mizoram As CADC Election Results Favour MNF

Voting in the General Election to Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) 2023

Source : Twitter/@mizorampolice

The results for the Chakma Autonomous District Council, declared this Thursday, threw again a hung verdict like the previous election held in 2018. The ruling Mizo National Front emerged as the single largest party by securing 10 seats while the BJP and Congress won 5 and 4 respectively. Election to the Rengkhashya seat was postponed to May 17 due to the murder of the BJP candidate Amit Kumar Chakma, by miscreants on May 4.

The results are definitely a boost for the MNF, which is just one seat short of achieving a majority in the council. The party, after being defeated badly this year in the first Lunglei Municipal Council elections to the Zoram People’s Movement, was looking for a victory ahead of the state assembly elections later this year and the results of the council have come at the right moment for the party. The results are also significant because in the last assembly election held in 2018, the Tuichawng assembly constituency — the lone seat falling under the council — was won by the BJP. 

Although even in the last council elections MNF had emerged as the single largest party by securing 8 seats, it failed to win the assembly constituency. However, this time it managed to increase its tally to 10 and if it wins the Rengkhashya seat, then it will be having a majority on its own — and the council will also get a stable government. 

For the saffron party, the results are a setback ahead of the assembly polls. Last time, the party opened its account for the first time by winning the Tuichawng seat and this time it is hoping to secure more seats. But the CADC results indicate that the saffron party is going to get a strong challenge from the MNF in the lone seat it won last time. 

Birth Of Another Political Party In Sikkim 

This week a new political outfit named Save Sikkim Party was launched by a former government employee Kaziman Chettri and his associate Sishir Khadka in the northeastern state of Sikkim. The symbol of the party is a mobile phone. The party’s principle is to protect the Article 371F, old Sikkim laws. Early this year, the state saw the birth of another political party — Citizen Action Party — by former Sikkim Democratic Front leader Ganesh Rai. 

The birth of the new party comes at a time when the state’s ruling party Sikkim Krantikari Morcha faces criticism from the Opposition parties for doing little to protect the Sikkimese identity. This year in a judgement the Supreme Court remarked that Sikkimese Nepalis are “people of foreign origin”. This resulted in protests and understanding the critical situation, the Centre too had then approached the apex court with a prayer to expunge those remarks. Later, the Supreme Court expunged those remarks. 

But the amendment to the Section 10 (26AAA) recently, where a new category of Sikkimese was created for the purpose of extending income tax exemption, by the Central Board of Direct Taxes didn’t go well with many in the state. Despite clarifications from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that Sikimese identity is intact, there have been suspicions that the identity is diluted. The state is going to see assembly elections next year along with the Lok Sabha elections and the Sikkimese identity is emerging as one of the major election issues for the Opposition — and the birth of SSP to protect Article 371F once again indicates that.  

What Does Pradyot’s Meeting With Amit Shah Mean For Tripura’s Politics?

This week, the royal scion and supremo of TIPRA Motha Pradyot Manikya Debbarma met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. This meeting took place amid a delay in the visit of the “interlocutor”, appointed by the central government, to the northeastern state of Tripura to look into the issues faced by tribals and hold talks with the stakeholders. The “interlocutor” AK Mishra, advisor to the government of India on northeast affairs, was scheduled to visit on May 12 but once again his visit has been cancelled as he is currently preoccupied with other important works, particularly with the developments of Manipur. 

Pradyot's meeting with Shah comes after the former strictly criticised CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Choudhury. During the state election campaign, the Left leader Jitendra and Pradyot shared a good relationship, acknowledged by the latter himself. However, the relations turned sour with Jitendra himself criticising Pradyot and his party Motha, the current main Opposition party in the state assembly, for going soft on the ruling BJP and playing with the emotions of the tribals by banking on “interlocutor”. According to the Left, interlocutor is merely an eyewash. 

After facing criticisms, Pradyot responded saying that Jitendra had won as Motha didn’t put a candidate against him in the Sabroom assembly constituency. He also criticised the CPM “for doing nothing” for the tribals during its 35 years of rule.

It is a fact that the Motha has taken a soft stand against the BJP after the declaration of the results. The party is currently not as active in the hills as it was before the elections. A section of it is sympathetic to the saffron party, which is also trying to break the former by taking advantage of the situation. All these factors are creating confusion among the voters of Motha.

Pradyot himself is also aware of this. He also faces the challenge to keep alive the momentum after his party failed to emerge as the kingmaker in the elections. From this point of view, his meeting with Shah, who is also the chairman of the NDA, assumes significance. Although Pradyot also criticised the BJP, his attack, significantly, was aimed at the Janajati leaders of the saffron party. Pradyot, although, said that his party isn't joining the government, the possibility of a new political alignment in the near future can’t be ruled out completely in the northeastern state keeping in mind the crucial Lok Sabha polls next year. 

The author is a political commentator. 

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