AIZAWL: The Opposition in Mizoram is set to lose two seasoned leaders after Zoramthanga and Tawnluia decided to hang their boots from active politics.
The announcement was made by the president of the opposition Mizo National Front (MNF), Zoramthanga, during an address to party workers on January 15.
Citing age considerations as the primary factor influencing their decision, the former Chief Minister, and the party’s vice-president, Tawnluia, have jointly concluded that it is now time for the party to move ahead without their involvement.
“We have discussed the matter, and we agreed that the party should continue without our presence as both of us have become 80. We have also informed our party leaders about our retirement,” Zoramthanga told a national news agency.
Having communicated their retirement decision to the party leadership, Zoramthanga revealed that following the MNF’s defeat in last year’s Assembly polls, he had submitted his resignation on December 5. However, the leadership had rejected his resignation.
In the November 7 elections, MNF lost power to the Chief Minister Lalduhoma’s Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), securing 10 out of the 40 seats in the state assembly.
Zoramthanga has been at the helm of the MNF presidency since 1990, succeeding Laldenga, the party’s founder, who led a secessionist movement from 1966 to 1986.
Zoramthanga’s political journey with the MNF dates back to 1966 when he joined the underground movement, becoming the secretary to the president.
He was appointed as the vice president of MNF in 1979.
Over the years, he has contested assembly polls successfully six times — in 1987, 1989, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2018.
Notably, he served as the Chief Minister for three terms, from 1998 to 2008 and then again from 2018 to 2023.
