Mizoram ZPM set for leadership change, Lalduhoma may take over as party chief

Mizoram’s ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) is set for a leadership change, with Chief Minister Lalduhoma emerging as a possible choice to take over as the party president.

Home Minister K Sapdanga, speaking at an internal party meeting in Aizawl, said the ZPM was preparing for a change in its leadership structure and would soon have a new president.

“We are holding frequent meetings to decide on a new leadership. We are working together to determine what is best for the party and the government, and we have reached fairly good conclusions,” Sapdanga said.

Lalliansawta is the current ZPM president. Although the term of the party’s elected office-bearers is scheduled to end next year, the leadership change has been brought forward, a party leader said.

The decision comes amid health concerns involving Lalliansawta and senior vice-president W Chhuanawma. Chhuanawma had sought leave from his party position in April citing persistent health issues. The party subsequently appointed Hrangturzo MLA Lalmuanpuia Punte as vice-president.

Sapdanga said the ZPM had traditionally maintained a distinction between the party president and the party leader, with the Chief Minister not simultaneously serving as party president.

“We have already experimented with a system in which the CM did not simultaneously become the party president. We will now experiment with combining or assigning the two posts to one person,” he said.

The development follows a recent decision by the ZPM executive committee to amend its party constitution, allowing the Chief Minister to simultaneously hold an elected office-bearer post in the organisation.

The amendment changed Clause 1 of Article 21, which previously barred ministers from holding elected office-bearer positions in the party.

With the amendment, the Chief Minister can now serve as both head of the government and an elected office-bearer of the ZPM. The relaxation, however, does not apply to other ministers, who remain barred from holding elected office-bearer posts.

The leadership restructuring comes as the ZPM prepares for the 2028 Mizoram Assembly elections.