Ruling Zoram People’s Movement secures victory in Mizoram civic polls

Mizoram’s ruling party ZPM said its victory in the civic polls was dedicated to the people who voted for change and believed in its approach and policies

AIZAWL: The ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) has emerged victorious in the Mizoram civic polls, winning 54 of the 110 local councils (LC) within two urban local bodies and 534 village councils (VC) across nine districts.

Lalduhoma, a former IPS officer, was sworn in as Mizoram chief minister in December 2023 after the stunning victory of the Zoram People’s Movement (X/Mizoram CM Office)

In the local council elections, the ZPM secured 54 councils, while the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) won 27, and the Congress, 14. Two councils were won by independent candidates, while 13 councils saw a draw.

In the village council segment, where elections were held across 9 of Mizoram’s 11 districts, the ZPM won 266 village councils, followed by the MNF with 122 councils, and the INC in third place with 43 councils. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won just one council.

In a statement, the ZPM thanked the people of Mizoram for their overwhelming support. “This victory is dedicated to the people who voted for change and believe in the new approach and policies of the ZPM,” the party said.

ZPM, Mizoram’s youngest party, was formed in 2017 and has since capped a stunning rise in the northeastern state’s politics — from becoming the principal opposition in 2018 to bagging 27 out of 40 assembly seats in December 2023.

The opposition MNF said the ZPM hadn’t performed as well in the civic polls as the state elections “It is evident that the people of Mizoram have begun to lose faith in the principles and programmes of the ZPM,” the opposition party said.

Each local and village council typically consists of three to seven members.

A total of 6,828 candidates contested the village council elections, with 1,651 candidates competing for 613 seats reserved for women. Additionally, 2,076 candidates participated in the 111 LC polls, of which 556 were vying for 195 seats reserved for women.

State election commissioner H Lalthlangliana said the elections were conducted peacefully.

“There was a 64.79% voter turnout in the local council elections within urban Lunglei and Aizawl city, while the village council voter turnout was recorded at 75.43%,” he said.