The Congress–ZPM combine now commands a working majority in the 25-member council, potentially pushing the MNF — the single largest party — into the opposition despite its eight-seat tally.
December 13, 2025:
In a dramatic post-poll realignment that has upended expectations in Mizoram politics, the Congress on Friday formally ended its pre-poll understanding with the Mizo National Front (MNF) and moved closer to the ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) to stake claim to power in the Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC).
Announcing the break, J. Ropianga Chinzah, president of the Lawngtlai District Congress Committee, accused the MNF of violating the pre-election agreement by attempting to influence elected members after the results were declared.
“Despite our pre-poll pact, the MNF leadership tried to entice ZPM member T. Zakunga by offering him the post of Chief Executive Member,” Chinzah alleged, calling the move a breach of trust.
Ngunlianchunga, sitting MLA and vice president of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), said the Congress–MNF understanding had included a clause to negotiate a coalition government in the event of a hung council. “That understanding was undermined by MNF’s post-election conduct,” he said.
The sharp turn comes after the December 3 elections to the 25-member LADC delivered a fractured verdict. The MNF emerged as the single largest party with eight seats, followed by the Congress with seven. The ruling ZPM, which has controlled the council since 2020, slipped to six seats, while the BJP and Independents won two seats each.
With the Congress and ZPM together commanding 13 seats, the combination is now exploring the formation of a new executive committee, potentially sidelining the MNF despite its status as the single largest party.
Earlier, senior Congress leaders had also made it clear that the party was unwilling to enter into any durable arrangement with the MNF as long as it remained part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). “We cannot ally with a party that is in the NDA,” said C.S. Thanga, general secretary of the North East Congress Coordination Committee, adding that any dialogue with the MNF would require it to first exit the NDA.
Rejecting claims of a full-fledged pre-poll alliance, Thanga said the Congress and MNF had contested together in only two constituencies. “Out of the seven seats won by the Congress, there was an understanding in just two,” he told The Power Corridors.
The result has been widely interpreted as a setback for Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who belongs to the Lai community. The LADC spans six Assembly constituencies where the ZPM had swept five seats in the 2023 Assembly elections, losing only Lawngtlai West to the MNF.
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Covering the entire Lawngtlai district and parts of Lunglei district, the LADC has long been considered the ZPM’s southern stronghold. Analysts say the verdict reflects growing dissatisfaction in the Lai belt and could weaken the party’s dominance ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections.
The MNF, however, rejected the Congress’s allegations. Party vice president and Leader of the Opposition in the Mizoram Assembly, Lalchhandama Ralte, said the MNF continued to honour the pre-poll agreement and accused its rivals of opportunism.
“In the last Lai District Council elections, our party won 20 out of 25 seats while in power. The declining support for the ruling ZPM is evident, and their recent alignment with the Congress appears to be driven purely by the desire to form the government,” Ralte said at Mizoram Hnam Run, the MNF headquarters.
He added that MNF councillors would play the role of a constructive opposition. “Instead of resorting to horse-trading or political manoeuvres, our members will serve the people of the Lai Council from the opposition benches,” he said, while noting that disagreements over power-sharing had already surfaced between the Congress and ZPM even before any coalition was formalised.
The elections saw a high turnout of 83.99 per cent, with 56,873 votes cast. The new executive committee is expected to be formed before the current council’s term ends on December 18.
The Lai Autonomous District Council, one of Mizoram’s three Sixth Schedule autonomous councils, was established in 1972 along with the Chakma and Mara councils. It functions as a self-governing body for the Lai community, overseeing local administration, customary laws, land management, and development programmes.
