Newmai News Network
Aizawl | July 29
A week after the Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) severed ties with the newly floated political party, Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), at least 10 senior MPC leaders, including newly elected party vice president, Lalthansanga quit the party and joined ZPM on Monday. Three sitting MPC legislators also quit the party, ZPM sources said.
Lalthansanga announced their exit from MPC at a meeting in ZPM office here on Monday. He also said that although they were strong supporters of MPC founder president Brig. Thenphunga Sailo and his policies, they have decided to join the ZPM "for the future of Mizoram".
MPC senior general secretary, Phairothanga who quit the party also said that several MPC units in different parts of the state will soon join the ZPM.
Along with 10 senior MPC leaders, three sitting MPC legislators- --VL Zaithanzama, A. Sawivunga and Vanlalhlana--also resigned from being ex-officio executive members of MPC and joined the ZPM, party sources said.
Internal squabbles and differences have been brewing within the MPC over the merger with ZPM after its president Lalhmangaiha Sailo refused to dissolve the party and fully merge with the ZPM.
Lalhmangaiha Sailo was re-elected as MPC president recently.
MPC was the constituent members of ZPM, an electoral alliance formed by six minor parties in 2017. The party had cut ties with the ZPM on July 20 after the rest of the alliance partners had merged into a single political party.
Earlier, MPC treasurer and spokesperson, V Lalthazuala had told reporters that the party had severed ties with ZPM following the alliance got registered as a single political party.
“As long as the ZPM is a political party, MPC cannot become part of it as two political parties cannot exist together at the same time,” he had said. Lalthazuala had also said that the MPC was willing to be part of the ZPM if it continued to function as a “grand alliance".
The ZPM, which was formed by Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), MPC, Zoram Exodus Movement (ZEM), Mizoram People's Party (MPP), Zoram Reformation Front (ZRF) and Zoram Democratic Front (ZDF), had contested 35 seats in the state assembly poll in November last year and won eight seats with its chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma begging two seats- Serchhip and Aizawl West-I. However, Laduhoma vacated Aizawl West-I seat to retain Serchhip.
The ZPM has got registration from Election Commission of India as a single political party on July 3. The newly floated party now has 7 legislators, including 3 from MPC in the 40-member Mizoram assembly.
