Party hopping in full swing in Mizoram, ruling ZPM well on way to capturing the Chakma autonomous district council

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, December 11, 2023

Party hopping in the wake of elections to remain on the right side of power has been a trend in mainstream Indian politics since the seventies when Indira Gandhi used to encourage defections from the opposition ranks to destabilize state governments run by them. Among many such instances , the most notable one was that of Bhajan Lal who had run a government in Haryana under the short-lived Janata Party regime (1977-1979) but rejoined Congress lock stock and barrel soon after Indira Gandhi had staged a comeback to power in 1980. Leaving aside other such political stigmas, what happened in the aftermath of assembly elections in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh in 2018 is also still fresh in memory.

But now it seems the infection of the defection disease has affected the tiny state of Mizoram in northeastern India. After the installation of the new Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM) government in Mizoram a spate of defections have taken place in the Chakma district council based on 6th schedule. Sources from Mizoram said that till yesterday as many as seven BJP and MNF members have joined the ZPM and out of this five belonged to BJP while two to MNF . Even the chairman of the district council has also defected to the ZPM. Among the BJP members who defected are Amit Bayan Chakma, Sanjib Chakma, Ajay Kumar Chakma, Parimal Chakma and Hirananda Tongangsho. From MNF the resignees area chairman of the council Kali Kumar Chakma and member Santosh Chakma. There is also preparation afoot by some other members to desert the BJP and MNF boat and join the ZPM.

Sources said that in the election to the 20-member Chakma district council held in May this year MNF had won 11 seats, BJP 5 and Congress 4. ZPM had contested 13 seats but drawn a blank. The council had been formed by the MNF but in the run-up to the recent assembly election the BJP had engineered defection in MNF ranks and won over four members . Among the four deserters from MNF Duryadhan Chakma was put up as a candidate in the assembly election but he lost his seat . Interestingly , the BJP’s winner in the district council polls Santosh Chakma had first joined the MNF and after the assembly polls he has joined the ZPM. Sources said that the ZPM which had drawn a blank in the election to the Chakma district council is now well on course to capturing the council with turncoats and party hoppers.