Mizoram Congress has said that the headquarters of Sinlung Hills Council (SHC) would be permanently shifted to the designated Sakawrdai village in Aizawl district if the party comes to power in the local body polls to be held on November 5.
State Congress president Lal Thanzara also asserted that the party, after coming to power in SHC, would effectively utilise all its available funds and resources to develop the Council.
The SHC, covering three assembly constituencies in three districts bordering Assam and Manipur, was established in 2018 following a peace accord signed between the Mizoram government and the erstwhile underground Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic).
According to the agreement, Sakawrdai near the Manipur border would be the headquarters of SHC. However, the council currently runs its office at the secretariat complex in the state capital Aizawl since the office complex and related infrastructure are yet to be ready.
“We will shift SHC’s headquarters to its designated Sakawrdai village and we will do our best to develop the council and its people,” Lal Thanzara said while addressing a campaign on Wednesday.
Lal Thanzara is the brother of former Congress chief minister Lal Thanhawla whose government had signed the peace accord with the HPC(D) in April 2018.
“When the MNF was in power (before the Congress), its talks with the HPC(D) failed. The Congress accords top priority to peace and its efforts to restore peace have resulted in the signing of the peace accord with the Hmar militants in 2018,” the state Congress president said. He claimed that nine out of 12 hydel projects in the state came because of the efforts of the Congress government.
Hitting out at the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), Lal Thanzara alleged that the party is an ally of the BJP. “The BJP is waiting for the ZPM to see how it protects the prestige of the two BJP MLAs in the state,” he said. Polling for the 12-member SHC will be held on November 5, in which 23,789 voters will decide the fate of 49 candidates.
The ZPM-HPC combine and Congress are contesting in 12 seats each, while the main opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) fielded candidates in 10. The BJP nominated one candidate.
There are 14 independent candidates, including two Hmar People’s Convention (Reformed) candidates backed by the MNF. Counting of votes will be undertaken as soon as voting is over. In the last SHC polls held in 2019, the MNF-HPC combine bagged 10 seats, and the other two were won by independent candidates. However, in the last five years, there has been a frequent change in the power dynamics in the Council.