Mizoram is the last of the northeastern states where the Congress is still in power. (File)
Highlights
- BJP, Congress joined hands to run Mizoram's Chakma tribal council
- The two have come together to keep the Mizo National Front out of power
- No party had a majority in this month's council elections
Elected members of the BJP and Congress have joined hands to run Mizoram's Chakma tribal council, a surprise move engineered by local Congress leaders to keep the opposition Mizo National Front, or MNF, out of power.
No party had a majority in this month's elections to the Chakma Autonomous District Council that was set up in 1972 to let the Buddhist tribal community govern themselves.
The ruling Congress had ended up with just six seats in the 20-member council and the BJP had five. The MNF, a constituent of BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance, was the largest party in the council, with eight seats.
Amit Shah, the BJP president had done the math in Delhi and it seemed obvious that the BJP and the MNF would come to power.
For Amit Shah it seemed obvious that the BJP and the MNF would come to power.
He went ahead to tweet his congratulatory message. "BJP-MNF, between them have won 13 out of the 20 seats.... It also marks beginning of BJP's rise in
Mizoram," Mr Shah had tweeted on Tuesday.
Mizoram is the last of the northeastern states where the Congress is still in power. The BJP is determined that the Congress doesn't come to power when state elections are held later this year. The elections to the council -- which has jurisdiction over nearly 650 square km that is home to 45,000 people, half of the state's Chakma population - was seen as a bellwether for the assembly elections.
Local Congress leaders 130 km south of state capital Aizawl, however, were able to persuade the BJP's elected leaders to make a different choice.
As part of this deal, it has given the BJP leaders the council's chairman's post and settled for the deputy's post.
The state BJP leadership were not happy with the development.
BJP's Santi Jiban Chakma is set to become the Chief Executive Member of the council. A Congress leader said elected members from the two sides had already formed a joint legislature party.
The BJP clearly isn't happy with how its elected members have disregarded instructions.
"We are shocked," a BJP leader in Aizawl told NDTV, complaining that the Congress appeared to have succeeded in getting their representatives to switch sides.
The Congress has not formally 'stake claim' to form the new council. A party leader said this was only a matter of time.
State Sports Minister and Congress leader Zodintluanga said the post-poll alliance was forged after local leaders of both the parties reached an agreement. But the friendship, he underlined, would not have any bearing in Delhi or in the coming election to the state assembly, according to news agency Press Trust of India.
Congress leaders also concede that its success in snatching the council from the MNF-BJP combine, however, did not take away the work that party leaders would need to put in to ensure that it doesn't lose the assembly elections the same way.