Mizoram polls: BJP doubles seats from 1 to 2 but vote percentage dips

The BJP, which had fielded candidates in 23 seats in the 7 November Mizoram Assembly elections, won two seats in the 40-member house.

Though the BJP secured two seats this time, its vote percentage dipped to 5.06 per cent against 8.09 per cent in 2018, when the party got one seat for the first time in the Christian majority (87 per cent) state.

In 2013, the saffron party got 0.37 per cent vote.

BJP candidate and former Mizo National Front (MNF) government Minister K. Beichhua, who joined the saffron party weeks before the 7 November Assembly election, and his party colleague K. Hrahmo won their Siaha and Palak seats, respectively, defeating their MNF opponents.

Though his party increased the number of seats from one to two, BJP Mizoram state President Vanlalhmuaka lost his Dampa seat to MNF candidate Lalrintluanga Sailo by a margin of 310 votes.

This time the BJP fielded candidates in 23 seats with a special focus on linguistic minority inhabited areas, especially where the Reang and Chakma tribal communities are in good numbers in the voters' list.

Interestingly, though BJP secured 5.06 per cent votes and secured two seats, Congress managed 20.82 per cent votes but got only one seat.

The BJP, which has its own government in four of the seven northeastern states -- Assam, Tripura, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh, has representations in the three other state's Assemblies of northeastern states.

In Meghalaya, the BJP has a minister in the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government led by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, who is also the national President of Meghalaya’s National People's Party (NPP) In Nagaland, the BJP is the partner of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government dominated by the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).