MNF poll debacle: Zoramthanga resigns as party chief after 33 years

Aizawl: Mizoram's outgoing chief minister Zoramthanga on Tuesday resigned as the Mizo National Front (MNF) president after a 33-year-long stint as its chief, following the party's defeat in the assembly polls.

In his resignation letter sent to MNF senior vice president Tawnluia, Zoramthanga said he took moral responsibility as the president of the party for its poll debacle.

Meanwhile, an MNF leader said the party will hold a meeting on Wednesday to decide whether or not to accept Zoramthanga's resignation.

"The MNF fails to win the state assembly polls. In this regard, I take moral responsibility as party chief. Considering that it is my obligation as the MNF president, I do hereby tender resignation from the president post and kindly request you to accept the same," the 79-year-old leader said in the letter.

Zoramthanga succeeded Laldenga as MNF president when the latter died in 1990.

The MNF national core committee and its political affairs panel will meet on Wednesday to decide whether or not to accept Zoramthanga's resignation, the party's media cell general secretary Krosshnehzova said.

MNF got only 10 seats this election, down from its tally of 26 in the 2018 assembly polls.

Zoramthanga himself also lost his Aizawl East-I seat to ZPM vice president Lalthansanga by a margin of 2,101 votes.

In a major setback, the MNF, which has been in existence for more than 60 years, lost to the opposition Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), which got registration from the Election Commission of India in 2019.

ZPM got 27 seats in the 40-member state assembly.

The MNF came to power in Mizoram thrice - in 1998, 2003 and 2018.