Centra𝔉l leaders covertly helped MNF to w🎉in Mizoram polls: BJP state unit chief
Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a seat in the Mizoram Assembly for the first time, its ❀state unit Chief has charged the central leadership of "covertly helping" the Mizo National Fron🐽t (MNF) in the elections.
The saffron party's sta⛄te unit chief, John V Hluna, said Thursday that a nexus between his party's central leadership and the Mizo National Front (MNF) might have spoiled the state BJP's chances and paved𝔍 way for the regional party's victory.
The MNF, however, denied the claim and 🍸maintained that the party won the elections without any suppoꦦrt.
"The BJP central leadership might have covertly helped the MNF. No concerted effo⛦rts were made by the party's central leader༺s to help the state unit. The poll results fell far short of our expectations," he said.
The state BJ🧜P chief contended that the campaigns by the central leaders were only re💎stricted 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) aꦛnd the NDA. It w꧙on 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 w✨ere shocked to see the dismal performance of their party as they had predicted win in "at least five se🐷ats".
"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 confide🧸nt 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 per cent ♓while the total voter turnout in the November 28 Assembly polls was over 81 peꦉr cent.
Hluna asserted that the central leadership of the BJP did nඣot 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, addingꦕ the saffron party should be a part of the new government in the state as🎉 the MNF is a constituent of the NEDA.
MNF president and chief minister-designate Zoramthanga had said before the polls that his pa🌼rty would not forge any allianc𝐆e in the state.
Rubbishing H♛luna'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.
PTI
