Lunglei Municipal Council gets Rtd School teacher as Head

Aizawl: Lalzuithanga, a 62-year-old retired school teacher, will head the Lunglei Municipal Council (LMC) after the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) swept the first municipal elections in south Mizoram’s Lunglei town on Monday, ZPM sources said.
ZPM Councilor from Ward-III has been unanimously elected as the Chairman of the first Municipal Council, while K Lalrinawma (37) from Ward-VII has been elected for the post of Vice-Chairman, sources said. Meanwhile, Lunglei Deputy Commissioner Ramdinliani said the date of swearing-in of the first LMC is yet to be announced.
A proposal has been sent to the department concerned for the swearing-in ceremony, Ramdinliani, who is also the District Municipal Election Officer, said. The emerging ZPM party led by Lalliansawta won an absolute majority in the municipal elections held on March 29. The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) led by Chief Minister Zoramthanga suffered a crushing defeat. The party won all 11 seats to the disappointment of other contesting parties.
Lalzuithanga, who retired as a school teacher in 2021, defeated his nearest rival F. Lalsawmkima of MNF by a margin of 456 votes.
The ZPM secured 49.31 percent of the total polling votes, while the MNF, which also contested 11 seats, managed 29.4 percent. The Congress, which also fielded candidates on all the seats, got 20 percent of the votes, and the BJP, which contested nine seats, managed only 0.75 percent of the total polling votes.

The first LMC elections recorded a total turnout of 74.26 per voter, with 42 contenders including 16 women from four political parties.
The LMC covers 4 assembly constituencies, which were won by the MNF and are currently in power. Elections to the 40-member Mizoram assembly are due later this year.
In the last assembly elections held in November 2018, ZPM won 8 seats and its chief ministerial candidate Lalduhoma won two – Serchhip and Aizawl West-1. Later, the party lost the Aizawl West-1 and Tuirial seats in the assembly by-elections reducing the party’s strength to six in the state assembly. In the current assembly, MNF has 28 members while Congress and BJP have 5 and 1 respectively.