 "Mizoram polls 2023: Ex-IPS officer Lalduhoma leads the charge against MNF")
Lalduhoma is a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer turned politician from Mizoram. Lalduhoma is the founder and president of the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), a Mizoram-based political party. Afterwards, his party joined the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), where he was selected as the chief ministerial candidate in the 2018 Mizoram Assembly polls.
The 71-year-old Lalduhoma has earned the dubious accolade of being disqualified as a Member of Parliament (MP) and an MLA in Mizoram.
Joining IPS
Lalduhoma worked as the principal assistant to Mizoram's Chief Minister, C Chhunga, from 1972 to 1977. After graduating, he qualified for the IPS 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 played an important role in bringing Laldenga, the leader of the Mizo uprising, from London and facilitating the Mizo Peace Accord, which was signed in 1986.
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Lalduhoma was then appointed as the vice-chairman of the Mizoram State Planning Board. The same year he got elected as an 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 "very proud" decision.
Mizo National Union
In 1986, Lalduhoma formed the Mizo National Union (MNU), which later merged with 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 Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) in 1997. In the 2003 election, he was elected to Mizoram Legislative Assembly from Ratu.
Joining Zoram People's Movement and disqualification as MLA
In 2018, Lalduhoma and his party became a part of the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), an electoral alliance formed by five other regional parties in 2017. He was officially declared the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2018 Mizoram Assembly polls.
The alliance could not obtain recognition from the Election Commission of India (ECI) as an official party then, so Lalduhoma contested as an independent candidate. He won from two constituencies, Aizawl West I and Serchhip, and ZPM won seven Assembly seats to become the principal Opposition party.
In 2020, 12 legislators of the ruling MNF had filed petitions with the Assembly speaker seeking Lalduhoma's disqualification on the ground that he had contested the 2018 state elections as an independent but later joined the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM). ZPM was registered as a political party in July 2019.
The MNF MLAs alleged that Lalduhoma violated Para 2 (2) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, also known as the anti-defection law, because of his political activities. According to Para 2(2) of the Tenth Schedule, an independent member of the house gets disqualified if he joins any political party after the election. The Assembly served a show-cause notice to him seeking an explanation. In his response, he denied defection to any party and said he owed his allegiance to the ZPM since its formation in 2017.
Lalduhoma was then disqualified as an MLA from the 40-member House by Assembly Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo under the anti-defection law. Lalduhoma became the first member of the Mizoram assembly to be disqualified in the history of the state.
In a by-poll for Serchip held on April 17, 2021, Lalduhoma reclaimed the seat by defeating Vanlalzawma of the MNF by 3,310 votes.