Saiha Assembly Election 2023: The state of Mizoram went to polls on November 7 and recorded a voter turnout of about 80 per cent. A total of 174 candidates are in the fray in the 40-member state Assembly.
Mizoram is witnessing a three-way contest in the 2023 elections. The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) led by Chief Minister Zoramthanga faces a challenge from the six party alliance of Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM) and the Congress.
The MNF, ZPM and Congress each have fielded their candidates in all the 40 seats. Whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded its candidates in 23 seats. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also contesting in four seats. There are 27 Independent candidates too.
Of the total 174 candidates, 16 are women. Mizoram has elected only four women MLAs since the inception of its state Assembly in 1987 (Mizoram was a Union Territory before that).
Let’s now move on to the Saiha Assembly constituency in Mizoram, which falls under Siaha district.
Saiha Election 2023
Saiha has the constituency number 39 in the Mizoram state Assembly, and its seat is reserved for Scheduled Tribe category candidates.
In the Mizoram state Assembly election 2023 for Saiha constituency, it is a fight between HC Lalmalsawma Zasai from the MNF, N. Chakhai from the Congress, KH Beithie from the ZPM, and K. Beichhua of the BJP.
In the 2018 Mizoram elections, the Saiha seat had been won by Dr. K. Beichhua of the MNF. The Congress candidate S. Hiato had come in second place.
If we talk about the Mizoram Assembly elections of 2013, the Saiha constituency had been won by Dr. K. Beichhua of the MNF. The Congress candidate S. Hiato was the runner-up.
The 2023 Mizoram Assembly Election
According to the Election Commission, around 80.6 per cent (6.8 lakh) of the total of 8.5 lakh voters exercised their franchise in this year's Mizoram election. This is slightly higher than the voter turnout of 80.03 percent in 2018 elections and slightly lower than 80.82 percent in 2013 elections.
The mountainous state's female voter turnout of 81.2 per cent was higher than the male voter turnout of 80 per cent in this year's election. Women outnumber men in the Christian majority Mizoram as women are over 51.2 per cent of the state's total 8.5 lakh electorate.
The results of all the 40 assembly constituencies of the state, including Saiha will be declared on December 3 along with four other states that are going to the polls.
A Brief Background of Mizoram's Politics in the Runup to 2023 Elections
Since 1989, the northeastern state of Mizoram has been witnessing a unique tradition of the incumbent government changing after two terms with power oscillating between the Congress party and the MNF.
The ruling MNF, which came to power in 2018 after remaining in the Opposition for 10 years, is hopeful that history will repeat and it’s going to return to power to the state. However, this time, the main Opposition party, the ZPM, is posing a real threat to break this three-decades-old tradition.
In the 2018 Mizoram Assembly elections, MNF won a massive majority by winning 27 of the 40 seats. Those elections saw Congress' seat count fall by 30 seats – from 34 in 2013 to just 4 in 2018. While the BJP could only win just one seat, its vote share saw a significant jump – from 0.37 per cent in 2013 to 8.09 per cent in 2018.
In 2018 Mizoram elections, the BJP contested in 39 out of the 40 seats but this time the saffron party has fielded candidates in only 23 seats – a move which is being seen as a strategy to tie an alliance after the results are declared on 3 December. Keeping its options open for a partnership with either MNF or ZPM.
While MNF is part of the BJP-led NDA at the centre, the two parties are not in a coalition in Mizoram. Chief Minister Zoramthanga often faces questions for his “two-faced” approach with the BJP. In the recent past, Zoramthanga has been critical of the BJP over the Manipur crisis. In the election campaigns, he refused to share the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mizoram is the only northeastern state that does not have BJP as part of its ruling alliance. The saffron party has its own governments in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Tripura and it is a minor ally in the governments of Meghalaya and Nagaland. The BJP also supports the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha government in Sikkim.
Mizoram has one parliamentary constituency, which is currently held by C. Lalrosanga of the MNF.
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