 "Behind ZPM's historic victory in Mizoram: Who is former IPS Lalduhoma?")
After the fledgling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) historic win, former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Lalduhoma is set to succeed incumbent Zoramthanga as the new chief minister of Mizoram. After cruising to victory by a margin of more than 2,500 votes in Serchhip against Mizo National Front (MNF) 's Malsawmzuala Vanchhawn, he is set to be the northeastern state's first new chief minister in three decades. Since 1993, the chief ministership has see-sawed between Congress's Lalthanhawla and MNF's Zoramthanga.
In a landmark victory, the ZPM swept the polls in Mizoram by bagging 27 seats. The MNF could only manage to secure 10 seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged two seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) only managed to win a single seat. With this, it will be the first time that a political party other than the Congress or the MNF will be voted into power since the state's formation in 1987.
Lalduhoma's political journey
After completing his graduation, he qualified for the Indian Police Service in 1977. The home ministry transferred him to New Delhi as the security in-charge of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982.
Tryst with Congress
He resigned from the police service and joined Congress in 1984. Lalduhoma was then appointed as the vice-chairman of the Mizoram State Planning Board. The same year, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP). But after falling out with the Congress leadership, he resigned and lost his Lok Sabha membership. He became the first MP to be disqualified under the anti-defection law in India. He later said that it was a decision he was "very proud" of.
Mizo National Union
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In 1986, Lalduhoma formed the Mizo National Union (MNU), which later merged with the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and was made working president.
Zoram Nationalist Party
He briefly joined the Mizo National Front (MNF) but broke away to form the Mizo National Front (Nationalist), which was renamed the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) in 1997. In the 2003 election, he was elected to Mizoram Legislative Assembly from Ratu.
Zoram People's Movement
The ZPM was formed as an electoral alliance of six minor parties in 2017. Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), Mizoram People's Conference (MPC) and Zoram Exodus Movement (ZEM) were the initial members in August 2017. Mizoram People's Party (MPP), Zoram Reformation Front (ZRF) and Zoram Democratic Front (ZDF) joined the alliance later.
In July 2019, ZPM officially registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI). The ZPM had contested 35 seats in the 2018 assembly elections and won eight seats. Ahead of the assembly polls, the ZPM emerged as a serious threat to MNF's reign in the northeastern state. The ZPM won all 11 wards in the newly formed Lunglei Municipal Council in 2023, which was a major blow to the MNF.
Joining Zoram People's Movement and disqualification as MLA
In 2018, Lalduhoma and his party became a part of the ZPM. The ZPM could not obtain recognition from the Election Commission of India (ECI) as an official party in 2018, so Lalduhoma contested as an independent candidate. He won from two constituencies, Aizawl West I and Serchhip.
Lalduhoma was then disqualified as an MLA under the anti-defection law after MNF legislators filed petitions seeking Lalduhoma's disqualification on the grounds he had contested the 2018 state elections as an independent but later joined ZPM. With this, Lalduhoma became the first member of the Mizoram assembly to be disqualified in the history of the state. But the ZPM left its stamp on Mizoram's electoral landscape with Lalduhoma's win in the Serchhip by-election in 2021.
In the 2023 elections, the ZPM relied on years of anti-incumbency against both the Congress and the MNF, along with the clamour for change from Mizo youth. In its election campaign, the party proposed a "new system" of "administrative, land reforms, and economic reforms.