The odd state out

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The Congress experienced a debacle in the Assembly elections in four states which are all in the Hindi heartland. In Mizoram, the party received some relief as it swept back to power. It won 33 seats while the Mizoram Democratic Alliance (MDA) won only six seats. In 2008, the Congress had won 32 seats. The victory this year was a consecutive one. The Congress highlighted its flagship beneficiary scheme called the New Land Use Policy, good governance and zero corruption. The MDA used Mizo nationalism as its main poll plank. The BJP was wiped out, having lost all the 17 seats which it contested. Many senior Opposition leaders lost to first-time Congress candidates. Mizo National Front (MNF) President and two-time Chief Minister Zoramthanga was defeated by a retired bureaucrat.

Chief Minister and state Congress President Lal Thanhawala won both the seats he contested. He said that his party had won because of its performance and it intends to carry on the good work. The MNF may derive some comfort from the fact that it has improved on its 2008 tally of three seats. It is the fifth time the Congress has come to power in Mizoram. A regional party, Mizo Union headed the first government in the state in 1972 but later it merged with the Congress. It appears that the Congress continues to be at the helm in five of the seven sisters in the North-east. The party’s inclusive, secular image makes it easier for it to grab power in a state such as Mizoram. The strong Christian element in the population also makes a difference. Finally, the success of the Congress in Mizoram is doubtless due to good governance. That should be an object lesson to the party in other regions of the country.

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