Mizoram assembly results 2018: Bamboo deaths and the MNF's rise to power

Rats have played a big role in bringing the MNF to power in the state in the past

The story of Mizo National Front (MNF), which has won the majority in the State Assembly elections now is intertwined with the flowering of a native bamboo species, an ecological phenomenon known as Mautam or the Bamboo death.

With a population of 1.09 million as per the 2011 census, it is the second least populous state in the country and almost 91 per cent of the state is forested. It has around 88.93 per cent forest and bamboo is grown in a large area in the state.

A species of bamboo, named melocanna baccifera, is widely seen here and it