Lalduhoma is the chief ministrial candidate from the ZPM. He was pitted against MNF debutant J Malsawmzual Vanchhawng. Meanwhile, the Congress had fielded R Vanlaltluanga from Serchhip who had earlier contested the Assembly polls in 2013 unsuccessfully.
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Lalduhoma told news agency ANI on Monday that he would be meeting the Mizoram Governor this week to stake claim to form the government in the state. “Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I will meet the Governor…Swearing-in will be within this month,” Lalduhoma was quoted as saying.
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Who is Lalduhoma?
ZPM chief Lalduhoma, who is also the party’s chief ministerial candidate, contested the Mizoram Assembly Election 2023 from Serchhip. In 2018, Lalduhoma secured 35.4 per cent votes, defeating the Congress’ Lal Thanhawla which got 32.7 per cent votes.
The ZPM leader had joined Congress after he had left his job as an IPS officer in 1984. The same year he had contested the Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket and was elected unopposed. However, in 2020, he was disqualified under the anti-defection law, becoming the first legislator to have been disqualified under the law in the country.
Lalduhoma had worked in the security of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. According to the Economic Times, he was reportedly sent by Indira Gandhi to hold negotiations with Mizo militant leader Laldenga in London and persuade him for peace talks. Laldenga then signed a peace accord in 1987 with then-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the report said. This made Lalduhoma a key player in the birth of Mizoram state.
Apart from joining different political parties, including the Mizo National Front (MNF), Lalduhoma also floated his parties, including the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP). He was chosen as the first chief ministerial candidate of the ZNP-led Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) coalition in the 2018 assembly polls, news agency PTI reported.
Lalduhoma won the Serchhip seat in the 2018 assembly polls held in November 2018, ousting incumbent legislator and five-time chief minister Lal Thanhawla. In 2018, he was the head of the ZPM. However his party was not registered back then. In 2020, Lalduhoma was disqualified as an MLA on a technicality, for defecting to the ZPM, the Economic Times reported.
Except for the period 1998-2003 and 2018-2023, the Congress has been in power in Serchhip after Mizoram attained statehood.
Before the 2018 assembly polls, Lalduhoma had successfully contested the assembly polls two times from the Ratu seat in 2003 and the Aizawl West-I seat in 2008. In the last assembly polls, he won from two seats.
ZPM chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma has assets worth ₹4 crore, PTI reported.
What has ZPM chief Lalduhoma promised in Mizoram
Lalduhoma said that after forming the government, his party will make a resource mobilisation team for financial reforms. “Mizoram is facing financial crises… That is what we are going to inherit from the outgoing government…We are going to fulfil our commitment… Financial reform is necessary, and for that, we are going to make a resource mobilisation team,” Lalduhoma was quoted by PTI as saying.
He earlier asserted that his party would give top priority to farmers if it came to power in Mizoram in the November 7 assembly elections.
He also promised to construct three new hydroelectric dams to generate around 300 MW of power and not to hike power tariffs for the next five years.
Addressing a ZPM block conference at Khawrihnim village in Mamit district, he asserted that around 60 per cent of the state’s population is dependent on agriculture and allied sectors. “The ZPM will give topmost priority to the uplift and development of farmers. We will modernise agriculture,” he said.
Lalduhoma said that more terrace farming will be done on hills with gentle slopes. He said a proper plan will be made for growing the cattle rearing sector.
Lalduhoma said that the ZPM, if it comes to power, will follow decentralisation of power and will set up committees from state to village levels involving NGOs, churches and other organisations which represent the people, to monitor development.
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Updated: 04 Dec 2023, 04:21 PM IST