Aizawl: The campaign for the first elections to Lunglei Municipal Council (LMC) is gaining momentum with the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and Opposition parties actively engaged in rallies in south Mizoram’s Lunglei town.
Polling for the 11-member council will be held on March 29 and the counting of votes will take place on April 3.
Three ministers – Lalruatkima, TJ Lalnuntluanga, Robert Romawia Royte- and other MNF leaders, including Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC) Mayor Lalrinenga Sailo, are currently camping at Lunglei.
Addressing a rally on Wednesday, Land Revenue and Settlement minister Lalruatkima claimed that the MNF has performed well in the implementation of its poll planks though there were some which could not be implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The creation of LMC was one of the important poll planks of the MNF during the 2018 assembly polls, he said.
He said that Lunglei town has begun to witness developments in many spheres.
Transport minister TJ Lalnuntluanga hit out at the Opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) stating that ZPM, which failed to secure even 20 percent vote share in the Assembly polls, will never come to power in the municipal council.
A party, which makes much noise only in the theory and not in practice during election campaigns never achieves desirable results, he said.
The minister said that LMC, which is under Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation (UD&PA) department, should go hand in hand with the state government to usher in all-around development.
Sports minister Rober Romawia Royte is also campaigning for the LMC polls. The minister on Wednesday reviewed many ongoing projects, including the state’s first AIFF standard futsal indoor stadium in Lunglei.
Addressing a public meeting in Lunglei, Congress president Lalsawta said that poverty increases in a place where there is no good governance. “Poverty of the people swells up under bad government. We are now dealing with such a bad government,” Lalsawta said as he took a jibe at the ruling MNF. He said that his party was firm on establishing good government to mitigate poverty.
He said that the Congress if comes to power in the state assembly polls due later this year, would introduce the Urban Employment Guarantee scheme for Lunglei as the southern district headquarters will no longer avail employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) scheme.
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More than 40,500 electorates will exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 42 candidates in the upcoming municipal polls.
MNF, ZPM and Congress have fielded candidates in 11 seats each, while BJP has fielded candidates in 9 seats.
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