Nabamita Mitra
AIZAWL: The NPP in poll-bound Mizoram is hoping that its young band of candidates, who are educated and have a “broader vision”, can make a difference this election.
Dr Lalrina Jahau, national secretary of the party unit, told The Shillong Times, that though many of the NPP candidates are greenhorns, they are young, educated and have broader perspective. “We have had either the Congress or the MNF. Now we need a change,” he asserted.
The NPP is contesting nine seats– Serchhip, which is chief minister Lal Thanhawla’s constituency and one of the two seats which he is contesting this time, Tuirial, Dampa, Champhai, Serlui, Kolasib, Thorang, Tuichawng and Mamit.
Among its new-comer candidates are Kapliana Pachuau, John Lalremruata, Lalhuliana and DD Chakma.
Pachuau, a journalist, will face Lal Thanhawla of the Congress and Lalduhoma of the Zoram People’s Movement. When asked whether fielding the greenhorns was a calculated risk, Jahau agreed.
“Take the example of Serchhip. It never had a local MLA. How many times Lal Thanhawla had visited the constituency in the last five years? His daughter-in-law runs the constituency and she might as well contest instead of the chief minister. What is the point? But our candidate is a local man and he knows the constituency and about the problems (of the constituents). So we are trying to field locals in all constituencies we are contesting from. We want to work with the people,” Jahau said.
The NPP is fielding former Congress MLA Hmingdailova Khiangte from Tuirial. Jahau said with senior and experienced leaders like Khiangte quitting the party, it seems the Congress is getting rid of good leaders.
Talking about the NPP’s prospects, Jahau said it is a new party in the state and if it wins even 3-4 seats, “it will be an achievement”.
“However, this time, the election is going to be different. By now, there should have been some indication but there is none. So it is difficult to say what will be the result. My personal observation is it will be a hung assembly,” he added. Jahau said the NPP here is not harping on anti-Congress agenda and “who knows may be we will align with the Congress post poll”.
“Our agenda is not anti-Congress. We want to drive the government at the right direction. For so many years, the government has done nothing,” he added.
The national secretary of the party stressed that NPP is a tribal-centric party and is “always keen to make friends” and in the long run might incorporate tribals from other parts of the country, besides the North East.
“There is not enough representation from the North East in Delhi despite the fact that the region is strategically located. So the focus on the region is also less. NPP is working towards bridging the gap. Also, as poll agenda, we want to empower the weaker section and encourage entrepreneurship, as it has started from Meghalaya. Connectivity is a big problem in North East and we want to focus on that too,” Jahau said.
Church role
Sasank Ghatraj, NPP general secretary from Nagaland and the party’s national observer for the Mizoram polls, said election in Mizoram is completely different from other parts of the North East and here church plays an important role in advocating free and fair elections.
Agreeing to it, Jahau said the intervention of the church has helped in checking money power to a great extent and Mizoram politics is cleaner than any other state.
When asked about BJP’s power of the purse and how it can vitiate the otherwise “clean politics”, Jahau said show of money power has already begun and BJP is targeting the minority belt to do that. “The Mizo voters are more educated and aware. So they will be least influenced by money,” he added.
He also believes that saffronisation of the North East has not happened and will never happen.
Bru voters
When asked about the fiasco over Bru voters, Jahau said the Bru population who are staying in Tripura should come to Mizoram and vote and not at the transit camp. “Does it make any sense? They are staying there for 20 years now. They can choose MLAs there not in Mizoram. If they want to vote they can come here,” he added.