GUWAHATI
Mizoram Assembly Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo on Wednesday resigned from his post and from the 40-member Assembly after the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) denied him a ticket to contest the upcoming election. He is expected to join the BJP on Thursday.
He is the eighth Mizoram legislator to quit ahead of the November 7 Assembly election.
Mr. Sailo, 64, submitted his resignation letter, to Assembly Deputy Speaker H. Biakzauva and to Assembly Secretary Lalhmahruaia Zote. He was accompanied by the State BJP leaders.
“I will quit the MNF party and join the BJP for the all-round development of Mizoram. Mizoram needs support and funding from the Centre where the BJP is in power,” Mr. Sailo, who had joined the MNF from the Congress ahead of the 2018 poll, told journalists in the State’s capital Aizawl.
He has represented the Chalfilh Assembly constituency four times.
On Tuesday, five Independent MLAs resigned from the Assembly to contest the November 7 poll as nominees of the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM). The five belonged to the ZPM but contested the 2018 poll as Independents, as the party was not registered at that time.
Earlier this month, K.T. Rokhaw and K. Beichhua resigned as Congress and MNF legislators respectively. The former joined the MNF to contest from the Palak constituency and the latter joined the BJP to contest from the Siaha seat.
Mr. Beichhua, who resigned from the Chief Minister Zoramthanga-led Ministry on December 13 last year, was expelled by the MNF a month later.
