| GUWAHATI: Mizoram Assembly Speaker and veteran Congressman, Hiphei tendered his resignation on Monday, a move seen as a setback for Congress and a gain for BJP ahead of the November 28 elections to the 40-member House.
Deputy Speaker Lalrinawma has accepted his resignation, reports received here on Monday afternoon say.
Sources say that Hiphei had decided to quit as Congress MLA from the Palak seat when the party had, on November 1, dropped his name from the list of candidates released for the Assembly elections. Instead a former legislator and Congress general secretary KT Rokhaw was made a nominee for Palak constituency.
Confirming the move to The Shillong Times on Monday, Mizoram BJP general secretary, Vanlalhmuaka, “Congress did not want him to contest the elections so he quit the party. It is the fault of Congress but we are happy that he has decided to join BJP.”
The development also marks an end to negotiations between the BJP leadership and the 81-year-old politician.
BJP had on Sunday had claimed that Hiphei would tender his resignation as Speaker and then step down from the primary membership of Congress.
A veteran politician, Hiphei was elected to the Mizoram Assembly from Palak constituency in Siaha district in 2013.
The saffron party is eyeing power this time in Mizoram, which is currently the only Congress-ruled state in the Northeast. BJP rules four states in the region and is part of alliances in two.
Later, in a tweet, Assam minister and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “I heartily welcome Sri Hiphei to BJP Mizoram. He resigned as an MLA and Speaker of Mizoram Assembly. He has posed his faith in PM Sri Narendra Modi’s vision of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas. I look forward to working closely with him to take Mizoram to new heights.”
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