The Mizo National Front ( MNF) is a regional
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Mizoram
Mizoram () is a state in Northeast India, with Aizawl as its seat of government and capital city. The name of the state is derived from "Mizo people, Mizo", the endonym, self-described name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which in the Mizo ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. MNF emerged from the Mizo National Famine Front, which was formed by
Pu Laldenga
Laldenga (11 June 1927 – 7 July 1990) was a Mizo nationalist and politician from Mizoram in northeast India. He was the founder of the Mizo National Front, a social organisation turned political party. He was the first Chief Minister of Mizor ...
to protest against the inaction of the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
towards the famine situation in the
Mizo areas of the
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
state in 1959. It staged a
major uprising in 1966, followed by years of underground activities. In 1986, it signed the
Mizoram Accord with the Government of India, renouncing secession and violence. The MNF then began contesting elections and has formed state government in Mizoram three times. It is currently the state's ruling party, with its president,
Zoramthanga
Zoramthanga (born 13 July 1944) is an Indian politician who is the Chief Minister of Mizoram. He is the president of Mizo National Front (MNF) party. He had served as the Chief Minister of Mizoram from December 1998 to December 2008, for two ...
, as the
Chief Minister of Mizoram
The Chief Minister of Mizoram is the chief executive of the Indian state of Mizoram. As per the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with the chief minister. Following elec ...
.
Origin
In 1959, the Mizo Hills were devastated by the
Mautam
''Mautâm'' is a cyclic ecological phenomenon that occurs every 48–50 years in the northeastern Indian states of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, as well as in many places of Assam which are 30% covered by wild bamboo forests, and Chin State in ...
, a cyclic phenomenon where the flowering of bamboo plants result in a plague of crop-eating rats, in turn causing a famine.
Earlier in 1955, Mizo Cultural Society was formed, with Laldenga as its secretary. In March 1960, the name of the Mizo Cultural Society was changed to 'Mautam Front'. During the famine of 1959–1960, this society took lead in demanding relief and attracted the attention of all sections of the people. In September 1960, the Society adopted the name Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF).
The MNFF gained considerable popularity as a large number of Mizo Youth assisted in transporting rice and other essential commodities to interior villages.
Underground movement
The MNFF, which was originally formed to help ease the immense sufferings of the people during the severe Mautam Famine in Mizoram, was converted into Mizo National Front (MNF) on 22 October 1961.
The first OB leaders elected were, President
Laldenga
Laldenga (11 June 1927 – 7 July 1990) was a Mizo nationalist and politician from Mizoram in northeast India. He was the founder of the Mizo National Front, a social organisation turned political party. He was the first Chief Minister of Mizor ...
, Vice President JF Manliana, General Secy. R. Vanlawma, and Treasurer Rochhinga and the ways in which the Indian authority of the day handled the famine left the people disillusioned. The wave of secessionist and armed insurrection was running high among the Mizos. In 1966, MNF led
a major uprising against the government, but failed to gain administrative control of the Mizo district.
The secessionist movement held on for about two decades. During that time, they invaded
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
claiming
Chin State
Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. The Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, Bangladesh to the south-west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to the west and Manipur t ...
and
Tahan Tahhan or alternative Tahan (in Arabic طحان) is a surname and may refer to:
* Bassam Tahhan, Syrian-born French professor of Arabic literature and expert on the Quran
*Hussein al-Tahan or al-Tahhan (born 1955), the governor of Baghdad, Iraq fro ...
belong to Mizoram since most of the resident in Tahan are Mizo.
Peace settlement
This chapter of insurgency finally came to a close with the signing of the
Mizoram Accord on 30 June 1986 between the underground government of the Mizo National Front and the Government of India. Under the terms of the peace accord, Mizoram was granted statehood in February 1987.
Political party
After the
1987 Mizoram Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Mizoram Legislative Assembly were held in February 1987 to elect members of the 40 constituencies in Mizoram, India. Although designated as Independents, the Mizo National Front won the majority of seats. Its leader, Laldenga ...
, Laldenga became Chief Minister, but soon lost power due to defections in the party.
In
the resulting election, the Congress won, and the MNF would be in opposition until 1998. In 1990, Laldenga died, and was replaced by his former secretary and Finance Minister,
Zoramthanga
Zoramthanga (born 13 July 1944) is an Indian politician who is the Chief Minister of Mizoram. He is the president of Mizo National Front (MNF) party. He had served as the Chief Minister of Mizoram from December 1998 to December 2008, for two ...
. In 1998 and 2003 MNF won the state assembly elections, and Zoramthanga was chief minister for 10 years.
In the 2003 elections MNF won 21 out of 40 seats in the state assembly, and got 132 505 votes (31.66%).
The party was routed by the Congress in the
2008 state election, winning just 3 seats. It contested the 2013 state elections in alliance with the
Mizoram People's Conference
The Mizoram People's Conference was a regional political party in Mizoram, India. It was formed by Brig Thenphunga Sailo on 17 April 1975. Ṭhenphunga was the party chairman and Chief Minister of Mizoram from 1979 to 1984, and an army officer ...
, and won 5 seats to the Congress's 34.
In
the 2018 state assembly elections, the MNF won 26 seats and returned to government.
Role in the national elections
For the
2014 Lok Sabha elections
General elections were held in India in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014 to elect the members of the 16th Lok Sabha. With 834 million registered voters, they were the largest-ever elections in the world until being surpassed by the 2019 ...
, it formed an alliance called United Democratic Front with seven other parties including BJP, to contest the only seat in Mizoram. The MNF has been part of the
National Democratic Alliance
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) () is a Centre-right politics, centre-right to Right-wing politics, right-wing and Conservatism, conservative Indian big tent political alliance led by the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was foun ...
since 2014.
Election results
Mizoram Legislative Assembly
List of chief ministers
Current party officers
![Mizo National Front Office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Mizo_National_Front_Office.JPG)
As of the latest party election in 2019, the Officers are:
* President: Zoramthanga
* Senior Vice President:
Tawnluia
Tawnluia is an Indian politician from Mizo National Front. He is the second and current Deputy Chief Minister of Mizoram.
Career
He has joined the Mizo National Front since 1963. He was the former commander-in-chief of the disbanded Mizo Nat ...
* Vice Presidents:
Vanlalzawma and Lalthlengliana
* Treasurer: K. Vanlalauva
See also
*
Mizoram People's Conference
The Mizoram People's Conference was a regional political party in Mizoram, India. It was formed by Brig Thenphunga Sailo on 17 April 1975. Ṭhenphunga was the party chairman and Chief Minister of Mizoram from 1979 to 1984, and an army officer ...
*
Zoram Nationalist Party
Zoram Nationalist Party is recognized as the state political party in Mizoram, India. The party known as formerly Mizo National Front (Nationalist). It is led by former MP Lalduhoma. MNF(N) was formed in 1997 through a split in the Mizo Nationa ...
*
Zoram People's Movement
The Zoram People's Movement (abbreviated ZPM) is an alliance of seven party to form non Indian National Congress non Mizo National Front government formed by Mizoram People's Conference . It is an alliance movement, the members are Mizoram People's ...
*
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
*
Political parties in Mizoram
Major national parties
* Indian National Congress (INC)
* Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Major Regional Parties
* Mizo National Front (MNF)
* Zoram People's Movement (ZPM)
* People’s Conference Party (PCP)
Note:
# Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) ...
References
External links
Peace Accord 1986Mizo National Front campaign song recorded 1993
{{Authority control
Political parties in Mizoram
Political parties established in 1961
1961 establishments in Assam