Mizoram To See 4-Way Electoral Battle, New Party Challenges Old Guard

For decades, power has shifted between the Congress and the Mizo National Front (MNF) in Mizoram. But in a first, a four-way battle has made the state election interesting.

The sleepy town of Lengpui is just 30 km downhill from Mizoram's capital Aizawl, but it takes an hour to reach this settlement.

The town is seeing some excitement - it's part of Mamit constituency, one of the 18 seats that is seeing a multi-corner fight.

All this while, Mizoram has seen a shift of power between the Congress and the MNF, but this time the results may buck the trend.

Dongliani, 27, runs a grocery shop in Lengpui. She is a graduate, but could not find a job.

At 11.9 per cent, the youth unemployment rate in Mizoram is above the national average, as per the central government's Periodic Labour Force Survey conducted between July 2022 and June 2023.

"People might think for a change as this government didn't do anything. There is not much development and the youth are not getting jobs, they go out of the state and even abroad," Dongliani told NDTV.

The old guards may still be rooting for the grand old parties - MNF and Congress.

"We still feel the Congress and the MNF have a 50-50 chance. The ZPM and the BJP might not do that well, as the Congress and the MNF are old parties in Mizoram," said Lalmonpuia.

But the call for change by the ZPM, its first election as a recognised political party, may have takers among the young.

In the 2018 election, the MNF came to power winning 27 of 40 seats by securing over 37 per cent votes. The Congress did have 30 per cent vote share, ZPM got 24 per cent and the BJP 8 per cent to win one seat. A shift of the vote share might make the election a close battle.