Dogged by leadership crisis, Congress succumbs to its worst defeat in Mizoram

The Congress contested in all 40 seats, exuding confidence about bouncing back to power, but could only manage to win one as the ZPM dethroned the MNF to come to register a historic win in the northeastern state.

Guwahati: Congress leaders in Mizoram on Monday strongly felt the absence of former CM Lalthanhawla, who steered the party to victory five times since 1986, as the grand old party succumbed to its worst defeat in the state by managing to win only one seat in the 40 member Assembly.

The Congress contested in all 40 seats, exuding confidence about bouncing back to power but C Ngunliangchunga was the only face-saver for the party, winning in Lawngtlai West constituency. The 63-year-old Ngunliangchunga defeated his MNF rival V Zirconia with 423 votes.

Congress state president Lalsawta, who was projected as the party's leader since Lalthanhawla's "retirement" in 2021, faced a humiliating defeat in Aizawl West-III, losing by a margin of 4,833 votes. Lalsawta got 4,369 votes.

"We really feel the absence of Lalthanhawla. We really need a strong leader like him to help the party bounce back," a Congress leader in Mizoram told DH.

The Congress' downfall in Mizoram, in fact, started in the 2018 Assembly elections when the party was relegated to the third spot with just five seats. The MNF dislodged the 10-year-long Lalthanhawla-led Congress government and got back to power with 26 seats. The Congress had blamed the emergent Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) more than the MNF, saying the new regional party divided the anti-MNF votes.

When Congress needed a leader to steer the party bounce back in 2023, Lalthanhawla, 79 then, announced "voluntary retirement" in November 2021. Since then, the Congress has struggled to put up candidates and re-organise the party for the 2023 poll battle.

"After Lalthanhawla's retirement, there is no one to steer the party to bounce back. The inner conflict among the present leaders was another reason," Jangkhongam Doungel, a professor of political science in Mizoram University, told DH after the results on Monday. "Congress not being in power at the Centre also acted against it," he said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who campaigned for the polls, targeted both MNF and ZPM calling them "entry points" for BJP and RSS in the Christian-dominant state. This, according to some observers, did not help as the ZPM had promised a change from the "failures" of both the MNF and the Congress, the two parties which had held in power since 1986.

ZPM, led by former IPS officer Lalduhoma, stormed to power in Mizoram for the first time by winning 27 seats. MNF bagged 10 while BJP bettered its tally from one in 2018 to two this time.