Aizawl: Former Mizoram chief secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo on Tuesday joined Congress to boost the party strength ahead of the state assembly polls.
Elections to the 40-member Mizoram assembly are due in the later part of this year.
Along with Chuaungo, 771 new members, including well known television presenter Vanneihthanga Vanchhawng and senior journalist Lalremruata Renthlei were inducted into the Congress by party president Lalsawta during a function held in Aizawl on Friday.
Speaking on the occasion, Lalsawta said the party will not use money to win the upcoming assembly polls. “We have no money. However, our candidates will be honest, righteous and trustworthy. We will turn towards the almighty God for good governance,” Lalsawta said while addressing the function.
Chuaungo said that he joined politics to work for the welfare of the people and the state, and that he had been away from Mizoram for several years due to his job and had witnessed many good things in other states.
“Certain good things which are practised in other parts of the country can also be done in Mizoram. I have observed that Mizoram has a number of good officers as compared to Gujarat,” he said, adding that Mizoram will witness a good number of efficient officers once Congress comes to power.
Chuaungo, a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of 1987 batch, retired as the state chief secretary in October 2021. He was appointed as chief information commissioner (CIC), a post he recently quit to join politics.
Following a complaint filed by the then state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) SB Shashank that the he had interfered in the state assembly poll process of 2018, Chuaungo was removed by the Election Commission of India (ECI). He was then the principal secretary of Mizoram home department.
SB Shashank had reportedly sought the deployment of additional central armed police forces which Chuaungo had allegedly objected to.
The former CEO had also accused Chuaungo of objecting to the use of identification slips of Bru voters for any other purpose except repatriation.
The removal of Chuaungo and the alleged ‘pro Bru’ stance by Shashank had irked the state government, political parties and civil societies.
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On November 6 and 7, 2018 a state-wide protest was staged by NGO Coordination Committee, a conglomerate of major civil societies and student organisations, which compelled the ECI to remove Shashank.
When Chuaungo returned to the state to assume the CS office in February 2019, he was accorded a hero’s welcome.
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