BJP to fight polls in Christian-dominant Mizoram against NDA ally MNF, names 21 candidates

In a separate notification, the party named Bhavna Bohra as its candidate for the Pandariya assembly seat in Chhattisgarh, where polling will be held in two phases on November 7 and November 17.

BJP on Wednesday named 21 candidates for Assembly elections in Christian-dominant Mizoram, setting the stage for its fight against the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), an ally of the NDA.

The two lists comprised former Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo, who quit MNF recently and joined BJP. Ex-minister Beichhua, who also resigned from the MNF similarly and switched over to BJP, will be contesting from his own constituency Saiha. 

The party has also given tickets to four female candidates and fielded two belonging to Chakma community from Thorang and Tuichawng constituencies, where Chakmas play the key role in deciding the poll battle. Chakmas are mainly Buddhists. 

Durjya Dhan Chakma and Shanti Bikas Chakma have been fielded from Tuichawng and Thorang respectively. 

The candidates were named a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the MNF and Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), two regional parties, as "entry points" for BJP and RSS to "infiltrate" into Mizoram and as "instruments" to impose their ideology on the Christian-majority state. 

The Central Election Committee of BJP released the first list having 12 names and hours later another list comprising nine candidates was made public. Sources said although BJP earlier wanted to contest in all 40 seats, it decided to contest in 21 seats only.BJP's state president Vanalalhmuaka has been fielded from Dampa constituency. Sitting MNF MLA, Lalrintluanga Sailo is expected to be his main contender. 

The battle ground: 

The Assembly elections in Mizoram on November 7 is projected as a fight between the MNF and ZPM, a relatively new regional party. Congress, however, claims that it is still a strong contender and is confident of coming back to power. The MNF had unseated Congress in 2018 while BJP had won only one seat out of 39 seats it contested. 

MNF, ZPM and Congress have named their candidates for all 40 constituencies. The BJP, meanwhile has launched attacks on the MNF saying the people are not getting benefits of the funds released by the Centre for Mizoram. Although MNF is an ally of the NDA, BJP is not part of the Mizoram government. The relations between MNF and BJP soared after CM Zoramthanga refused to comply with the Centre's directive to deport the "refugees" from Myanmar, who had taken shelter after the military coup in the neighbouring country. Zoramthanga also refused to collect the biometrics of the Myanmar refugees despite the Centre's instructions. More than 35,000 Chin refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh have been provided shelters as they share ethnic ties with the Mizos.

BJP's fight in Christian state: 

BJP's lone battle in Mizoram in 2018 and in Meghalaya, another Christian majority state, earlier this year, however, proved disappointing as the saffron party managed only one and two seats, respectively. The only candidate, Buddha Dhan Chakma, who had won for BJP in Mizoram in 2018 belongs to the minority Chakma community, who are mostly Buddhists. According to poll observers, BJP won 12 seats in Nagaland, another Christian-dominant state and retained the coalition government as it contested in a seat-sharing arrangement with its regional ally NDPP.