BJP Central Leadership ‘Covertly Helped’ MNF Win: State President

PM Modi (left) and Mizoram BJP State President John V Hluna (right). 

(Photo Courtesy: John V Hluna)

Despite getting a seat in the Mizoram Assembly for the first time, the state BJP has charged its central leadership with "covertly helping" the MNF, claiming that its candidates would have fared better otherwise.

The MNF, however, denied the claim and maintained that the party won the elections without any support.

The saffron party's state unit chief, John V Hluna, said on Thursday, 13 December, that a nexus between his party's central leadership and the Mizo National Front (MNF) might have spoiled the state BJP's chances and paved way for the regional party's victory.

“The BJP central leadership might have covertly helped the MNF. No concerted efforts were made by the party’s central leaders to help the state unit. The poll results fell far short of our expectations.”

John V Hluna

The state BJP chief contended that the campaigns by the central leaders were only restricted to the interstate border areas.

"I had requested the central leaders to campaign in various constituencies of the state for the Assembly polls but they concentrated only in areas bordering Bangladesh and Tripura," Hluna, who is in Delhi, told PTI over phone.

The Mizoram National Front (MNF) is a constituent of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and the NDA. It won 26 seats in the 40-member Assembly, followed by the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) at eight and the Congress at five.

Hluna said the BJP cadre were shocked to see the dismal performance of their party as they had predicted win in “at least five seats”.

"We had high hopes that Hiphei, who resigned as the Assembly speaker and contested from his home turf Palak seat in Siaha district, would win," he said.

The party was also confident of winning Mamit, Hachhek and Dampa seats in Mamit district, which has a sizeable number of minorities, Hluna said.

The BJP leader also attributed the loss of his party to the low voter turnout in 15 temporary polling stations at Kanhmun village, where Bru voters from the six relief camps in Tripura had exercised their franchise.

The voter turnout at Kanhmun polling stations was 56.46 percent while the total voter turnout in the Assembly polls on 28 November was over 81 percent. Hluna asserted that the central leadership of the BJP did not have confidence in the state unit to capture power in the state.

The main aim of the BJP leaders in Delhi was to “kick out” the Congress, he said, adding the saffron party should be a part of the new government in the state as the MNF is a constituent of the NEDA.

MNF Rubbishes Claims

MNF President and chief minister-designate Zoramthanga had said before the polls that his party would not forge any alliance in the state.

Rubbishing Hluna's allegations, MNF Vice President R Tlanghmingthanga said his party did not receive any support from national parties.

"The BJP did not help the MNF as suspected by Hluna. NEDA is not an electoral alliance, but a forum to keep the Congress out of the northeast," he said

No Importance Given to State: Hluna

This isn’t the only time that Hluna has pointed fingers at the party’s central leadership. Earlier, in a candid interview with Reuters, he had express his unhappiness with the lack of importance given to the state by the latter. Hluna also flagged BJP's 'Hindutva' image as a big liability.

In the interview, which was published on the day the state went to polls, on Wednesday, 28 November, Hluna said that from Modi to Shah, no national BJP leader had put in the slightest effort in the pre-election campaign. He also said that they didn’t give the state enough importance. Adding to this, he had also said, the biggest problem the party faced in the state, was carrying the tag of Hindutva.

(With inputs from PTI)