Mizoram: K Sapdanga becomes ZPM working president

In a political development in Mizoram, main opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) vice president K. Sapdanga was on Monday appointed as the party working president.

Lalfakzuala, chairman of ZPM’s Val Upa Council (VUC), the highest executing body of the party announced Sapdanga’s appointment at a party meeting in Aizawl as suggested by the party Political Affairs Committee (PAC).

The need for having a party working chairman was felt after the party president Lalliansawta developed a health issue sometime back, party sources said.

Speaking on the occasion, Sapdanga said he would try his best to strengthen the party.
He called upon party workers to work collectively to strengthen and take the party to a new level.

Sapdanga expressed regret over the demise of party leader and MLA from Tuirial assembly constituency Andrew H. Thangliana, who died on August 17.

He blamed the ruling for allegedly holding a campaign kick-off like programme for by-poll to the Tuirial seat, which is yet to be announced, while the sitting MLA was still struggling for his life at a hospital.

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“It will be a big challenge to fill the place of our departed leader and continue with his mission. It seems we are going to make a beginning with mournful tears,” Sapdanga said as he spoke given the upcoming by-poll.

ZPM leader and party sitting MLA Lalduhoma, who spoke on the occasion, claimed that the party is progressing towards having a strong bond of unity among party workers and no outsiders can undermine such unity.

“We have been relentlessly prepared to ensure that people have more faith in the party’s functioning to establish people’s government and new system,” he said.

The ZPM now has 6 legislators in the 40-member assembly.

However, barring Lalduhoma, who was elected on the ZPM ticket in the Serchhip by-poll in April, all the other five members though affiliated to the party had been elected “independent” in the last assembly polls in 2018 and they are officially referred to as “independent MLA” in the state assembly.

The ZPM was formed by several minor parties as an “electoral alliance” in 2017. The alliance was converted into a single political party and obtained party registration in July 2019, seven months after winning 7 seats in the 2018 assembly polls.