The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), a coalition of six parties, has surpassed the halfway mark in the Mizoram Assembly polls conducted on 7 November.

Surprisingly, the sitting Chief Minister Zoramthanga lost the election from the Aizawl East-1 constituency, and his deputy Tawnluia also faced defeat in Tuichang.

As per the Election Commission’s website, the ZPM has secured victory in 21 out of the 40 seats and is leading in six others.

The incumbent ruling party, Mizo National Front (MNF), has won seven seats and is leading in three, while the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured two seats, and the Congress is leading in one.

During the elections, the MNF, ZPM, and Congress contested 40 seats each, with the BJP fielding candidates in 13 seats.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), participating for the first time in Mizoram, contested four seats, with 17 independent candidates.

While some exit polls hinted at a potential clean sweep by the ZPM, most indicated a hung assembly with no single party securing a clear majority.

In the previous assembly election in 2018, the MNF won 26 seats, the ZPM secured eight, and the Congress, with five seats, was relegated to the third position. The BJP won one seat.

Zoramthanga’s party projected him as the “guardian of the Chin-Kuki-Zo tribes,” although opponents, including the BJP, accused him of corruption, failure to address rising unemployment and drug trafficking, and inadequate infrastructure.