The Mizo National Front returns
What happened
Mizo National Front returned to power in Mizoram in a landslide, replacing the outgoing Indian National Congress government.
It won 27 of the 40 seats.
That cleared the 21-seat majority mark by 6 seats.
Independent candidates followed with 8 seats on 23.0% of the vote.
MNF itself polled 37.7% of the vote, translating to 67.5% of the seats.
The campaign
The Election Commission of India announced the Mizoram assembly poll schedule on 6 October 2018, setting a single phase for 28 November with counting on 11 December.1
Ahead of the poll, four senior Indian National Congress leaders in Mizoram, including the Speaker of the outgoing Legislative Assembly, defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The move was reported in mid-October, weeks before voting.2
A new alliance of six regional parties, the Zoram People's Movement, contested 36 of the 40 seats as a third front against the Front and Congress, and won 8 seats on its debut.3
- 1ECI announces 2018 Mizoram assembly election schedule — 2018 Mizoram Legislative Assembly election
- 2Four senior Congress leaders, including Assembly Speaker, defect to BJP before polls — 2018 Mizoram Legislative Assembly election
- 3Zoram People's Movement contests its debut Mizoram assembly election — Zoram People's Movement
What changed
Mizoram's government changed hands, and MNF returned to power in a landslide.
INC, which had governed for 2 elections in a row, collapsed.
MNF itself grew from 5 seats to 27.
Its vote share — the slice of all ballots cast that went to one party or candidate — rose +9.1 pp to 37.7%.
33 of the 40 constituencies changed hands.
24 of those moved from INC to MNF alone.
Notable numbers
The closest race anywhere in the state was Tuivawl, Mizoram, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of 3 votes.
West Tuipui, Mizoram was won by the widest margin of the election, 18.4% of the vote.
Hachhek, Mizoram drew the most crowded ballot in the state, with 8 candidates standing.
NOTA — "None of the Above," a ballot option letting voters formally reject every candidate on offer — drew 2,917 votes statewide, about 0.5% of the total.
The Zoram People's Movement, a new alliance contesting its first election, won 8 seats on its debut.3
- 3Zoram People's Movement contests its debut Mizoram assembly election — Zoram People's Movement
The backdrop
The Mizo National Front signed the Mizoram Peace Accord with the Government of India on 30 June 1986, ending an insurgency in exchange for full statehood. Mizoram became India's 23rd state on 20 February 1987, with a 40-member assembly, and Laldenga became its first Chief Minister.4
MNF had led that first government too.
- 4Mizo Accord and Mizoram Statehood — Mizoram Peace Accord