To Win In Mizoram, Parties Look For Support From Civil Society Groups

Civil society groups in Mizoram are in focus ahead of the assembly elections in the north-east state on Wednesday. All the major political parties including the BJP and the Congress want a favourable opinion about them from the civil society groups as it can have a major impact on the outcome of the fiercely contested elections.
Earlier this month, the groups backed by the church launched a massive protest against the Election Commission after some officials decided to allow members of the Bru tribe, who live as refugees in Tripura, to vote from their camps in the neighbouring state. A Mizoram bureaucrat was also transferred after he objected to that move. This triggered protests as the civil society groups suspected that letting the refugees vote from another state might polarise the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week met with the groups in state capital Aizawl. His party, BJP, is looking to woo Christian voters in the state.
The importance of civil society groups in Mizoram is such that a sizeable number of the state population are members of one group or another. For example, the young Mizo Association or the YMA has 41 per cent of Mizoram's over seven lakh voters as members.
"There should not be any politics of division. It is fine if they want to develop the state; we also want that, and as a remote border area we support that. But not at the cost of dividing people," said Vanlalruata, president of the central Young Mizo Association.

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