People’s Conference Joins Dampa By-Election Fray, Making It a Five-Cornered Contest

The People's Conference (PC) party has re-entered the political fray by nominating its vice president, K. Zahmingthanga as its candidate for the upcoming Dampa Assembly by-election in Mamit district, which borders Bangladesh.

The party announced that Zahmingthanga will file his nomination papers tomorrow, the last day for filing nominations. His candidature officially turns the Dampa contest into a five-cornered battle, adding a layer of intrigue to what was previously seen as a four-way fight.

With the ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) fielding Vanlalsailova, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominating Lalhmingthanga Sailo, and the Indian National Congress (INC) and Mizo National Front (MNF) putting forward John Rotluangliana and Dr. R. Lalthangliana, respectively, the by-election is shaping up to be a complex political contest.

Once a formidable political force under the late former Chief Minister Brig. T. Sailo, the People's Conference was instrumental in ushering in a new phase of democratic governance in Mizoram during the late 1970s and early 1980s. However, the party's influence gradually waned after Sailo's tenure as Chief Minister ended. In the decades since, the PC has struggled to regain its foothold amid the dominance of larger parties like the MNF, Congress, and more recently, the ZPM.

The Dampa by-election, necessitated by the death of MNF MLA Lalrintluanga Sailo on July 21, offers the PC a rare opportunity to reassert its presence in state politics.

According to election officials, nomination filing closes tomorrow, followed by scrutiny on Wednesday and withdrawal of candidature on Friday.

An electorate of 20,790 voters, including 10,605 men and 10,185 women, will decide the fate of the five contenders when polling takes place on November 11.