Will Lalduhoma And His Young Party ZPM Be King Or Kingmaker In Mizoram Polls?

Lalduhoma, a former IPS officer from Mizoram, was elected to the Lok Sabha as an MP in 1984. After qualifying for IPS in 1977, Lalduhoma served as a squad leader in Goa, leading crackdowns on delinquent hippies and smugglers. His achievements were recognised by the national media, and he was transferred to Delhi in 1982 to serve as security in-charge of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Lalduhoma was the first MP to be disqualified under the anti-defection law and was evicted from the Lok Sabha in 1988 for giving up his membership in the Congress. Lalduhoma is the founder and president of the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) and was chosen as the first chief ministerial candidate of the ZNP-led Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) coalition in the 2018 Mizoram Legislative Assembly election. Elected from both Aizawl West I and Serchhip constituencies, he chose to represent Serchhip. While serving as Leader of the Opposition, he was disqualified as an MLA on charges of breaching anti-defection law in 2020, becoming the first such case in state legislatures in India. He was re-elected from Serchhip in a by-election in 2021.