H. Amaresh Chakma

In yet another political turnover in Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC), sitting chairman H. Amaresh Chakma was removed through a no-confidence motion in the first sitting of the council budget session on Friday, an official statement said.

The no-confidence motion was moved by executive member Mohan Chakma of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF).

15 members- 8 from Mizo National Front (MNF) and 7 from opposition BJP voted in favour of the removal, while four MNF members, including the chairman Amaresh Chakma, were absent during the voting, the statement issued by the council’s information & public relations department said.

Deputy chairman Mohesh Boran Chakma, who conducted the proceeding of the sitting declared that the chairman has been removed by majority vote, the statement said.

Amaresh Chakma had successfully contested the council polls in April 2018 on the MNF ticket from Kamalanagar south constituency.

An official in the council information and public relations department said that the chairman has been accused of failing to maintain “impartiality” and was holding an important portfolio in the MNF, which was disapproved by other members.

The CADC was created in 1972 for the Chakma tribals living south-western part of Mizoram. Its headquarters is located at Chawngte (Kamalanager) in the Lawngtlai district.

The council has 20 elected members and 4 nominated members.

The council threw up a “hung” house in the last council polls held in April 2018, where the MNF won 8 seats, Congress (6) and BJP (5) while the countermanded Fultuli constituency was later won by Congress.

Later, 4 Congress members had defected to MNF and another 2 to the BJP.

Presently, there are 13 MNF members, including the removed chairman Amaresh Chakma and 7 BJP members in the 20- member council.