New Delhi: The exit polls for Mizoram have predicted that the Mizo National Front's (MNF) brand of identity politics will edge out the 10-year-old Congress regime with the narrowest of margins.
The BJP has been making consistent inroads in the north east since 2014 and Mizoram is the last remaining stronghold of the Congress.
The state has seen either the Congress or the Mizo National Front (MNF) in power since 1987. With the Congress winning 34 out of 40 seats in 2013, the polls will be key for both the Congress and the BJP. The BJP hopes to play kingmaker, fielding 39 candidates and increase its sway in the region, while the Congress is managing to hold on.
But the advantage, as per exit polls remained with the MNF. Times Now - CNX predicted 16 seats for the Congress, 18 for MNF+ and 6 for others. In 2013, the 40-seat Assembly had seen the Congress win 34 seats, while the MNF won five. The Republic-CVoter survey predicted 14-18 seats for the Congress, 16-20 for MNF+ and 3-10 for others. In 2013, the 40-seat Assembly had seen the Congress win 34 seats, while the MNF won five and the NewsX Neta survey has predicted 15 seats for the Congress, 19 for the MNF+, and 6 for others. The majority mark is 21.
Elections in the state and the campaign leading up to it has been turbulent. It began on a contentious note, with the recommendation by the state’s chief electoral officer to transfer a Mizo bureaucrat out of Mizoram following allegations of interference. In Mizo-majority areas, chief minister Lal Thanhawla has an uphill battle ahead of him. With 10 years of anti-incumbency, as other Congress leaders from the north east fade away with the BJP spreading in the area, he has so far remained defiant. He has repeatedly claimed that the party will win and comfortably.
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