A total of 17 leaders of Mizoram BJP quit the saffron party on Thursday. The leaders who have quit the BJP include an ex-Mizoram BJP president and current president of the Aizawl District Mahila BJP. They accused the Modi-led BJP government of fascism.

Citing the appointment of a Chakma candidate for the upcoming general elections as one of the main reasons of quitting the party, ex-president of Aizawl District BJP K Lalrimawia said, “We need an indigenous representative who can speak on behalf of the majority of the Mizo people.”
“BJP candidate Nihar Kanti Chakma, who is from the minority Chakma community, is not an indigenous person. We need a Mizo to represent the Mizos,” he said.