GUWAHATI: Dealing a blow to the Congress, Mizoram speaker Hiphei resigned from the ruling party and as an MLA on Monday and joined the BJP. He is the fifth sitting Congress legislator to resign from the grand old party since September.
For the past few weeks, he was not going along well with the state Congress leadership, particularly Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. The Congress had got a whiff of his move to wear saffron.
After joining the BJP, the seven-time MLA said he would contest from the Palak constituency in Siaha district. The AICC had earlier decided to field him from the seat although his name was not officially announced.
Citing a reason for his joining the BJP, Hiphei said the BJP's central leadership had promised him to give greater autonomy to the state's autonomous district councils. He said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured him that amendment would be made to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to give more teeth to the councils.
Predicting defeat for the Congress, which has been in power for two terms, he said the BJP and its allies would form the government. Opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) is an ally of the BJP in non-Congress conglomerate of political parties North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) but both parties are going it alone in the November 28 elections.
Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is a prominent BJP leader in the Northeast and chairman of NEDA, is optimistic that the "BJP would be strengthened by Hiphei's joining". Hiphei had been a tallest leader in the Congress in Mizoram which is the last Congress-ruled state in the Northeast. His defection to the BJP is surely not a good sign for the Congress.
In September, the then Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana, who was considered the right hand man of CM Lal Thanhawla, had quit the party to be with the MNF. In the Congress, he was widely known for his brilliance at political engineering. In 1998, the Congress was routed by the MNF-Mizoram People's Conference combine. Only six Congress candidates, including him, could win in that election. He has not lost an election since.