BJP vies for political space in Congress MNF Mizoram fight

AIZAWL: To Congress, it symbolises the party's last hope in the northeast. And to BJP, the final hurdle to a 'Congress-mukt' northeast.

Mizoram, which goes to the polls on November 28, is the last battleground in the northeast before the parties head to the Lok Sabha elections. How things go here will hold the key to parties' fortunes in 2019.

Congress has ruled out anti-incumbency, with CM Lal Thanhawla saying his party will "get majority on its own". While the relaxation of prohibition upset the Church and may erode Congress' support base, the party is banking on its pro-farmer New Land Use Policy to make up for the losses.

Congress has been accused of playing to the gallery by trying to outbid its rival Mizo National Front (MNF) as the "saviour" of the majority Mizos, for whom the latter had once taken up arms for sovereignty.

In its bid to create a political space of its own, BJP has played the pro-minority card by throwing its weight behind the Hindu Bru and Buddhist Chakma tribes. Considering the overwhelming majority of Christians, it appears to have toned down its Hindutva rhetoric and pitched for "inclusive" development". BJP, which did not win a single seat in its previous five attempts to enter the assembly, has used its "clean slate" to pin down its two bigger opponents.