Mizoram govt to take oath without the lone BJP MLA

The Mizo National Front (MNF) government led by Zoramthanga will take oath on Saturday but the party denied the involvement of the lone BJP MLA in the new Mizoram government.

MNF general secretary, Pachunga told DH from Aizawl that Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan invited 74-year-old Zoramthanga to take oath after he met the latter, who staked claim to form the new government.

“Since we have the numbers, we will form the government with all MNF MLAs only. The BJP MLA will not be part of the government,” he said adding that the 26 newly elected legislators chose Zoramthanga as their leader before he met the Governor on Tuesday evening.

The 44-year-old Buddha Dhan Chakma, a former fishery minister under the Congress government became first BJP MLA in the Christian-majority Mizoram by winning the Tuichwang constituency.

Chakma, a doctor by profession, who represents the Buddhist Chakma community, switched over to the BJP just before the November 28 elections claiming that the minority community was ‘discriminated’ by the Congress government. The BJP had banked on the nearly 1.20-lakh Chakmas in Mizoram, who have always complained that they are discriminated and insulted as ‘illegal migrants from Bangladesh’ by the majority Mizos.

Sources said that the BJP MLA is eager to join the government but the MNF is reluctant as it flags the regional sentiment of the Mizos.

90% MLAs crorepatis

Majority of Mizoram MLAs are young, wealthy and highly educated.

An analysis of the affidavits of the newly elected MLAs by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has revealed that 36 of the 40 Mizoram MLAs or 90% of them are crorepatis.

The same was 75% in 2013.