Women who are more than 50% of the total voter in the state of Mizoram, when it comes to their participation as a candidate their performance is always ‘poor’–only four have become MLAs since the first election in 1972.
The Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl (MHIP), an influential women’s organization in the state, helped Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu win a byelection in 2014 and eventually become the Minister of State for Sericulture, Fisheries, and Cooperation in Lal Thanhawla’s Congress government.
Ms. Chawngthu would probably not have been considered had Mr. Thanhawla not given up Hrangturzo, one of the two seats he won in 2013.
In the current state assembly elections, V Chawngthu is one of 15 women contesting but the only one fielded by the Congress. “The party trusts my ability to win,” she said.
The BJP who has yet to open its account in the state has given tickets to six women, while the evangelical Zoram Thar has five woman candidates, the Zoram People’s Movement two and the Nationalist Congress Party one.
The Mizo National Front while defended its lack of women candidates, said “We did not find a suitable candidate. It is always the smaller, unsure parties that field women,” party president and former Chief Minister Zoramthanga
Among his ‘smaller’ parties was BJP, which fielded the most women – three out of six – in 2013 and all forfeited their deposits. In 2008 elections, six of nine women candidates lost their deposit. Six out of seven candidates had to share a similar fate in 2003.
“We had appealed to all parties in 2013 to field women, but they were not forthcoming. We threw our weight behind Ms. Chawngthu in the 2014 by-poll to make a gender statement, and not show our loyalty to any party [Congress],” said Mizo Hmeichhe Insuihkhawm Pawl MHIP’s finance secretary Thanpuii
The Polling day in the state will be a test for MHIP ability to motivate voters for the women candidates.
The Mizoram state Elections will be held on November 28, along with Madhya Pradesh.
The counting will take place on December 11 along with other state assembly elections.