Mizoram’s ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) on Thursday nominated former party youth wing president K Kanlalvena as a candidate for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in the State.
This was informed by a party leader on Friday.
MNF advisor and state information and public relations minister Lalruatkima said the meeting of the party nomination committee chaired by party president and chief minister Zoramthanga has unanimously named party national core committee member and former youth president K Vanlalvena as the party nominee for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
The former student leader K. Vanlalvena had lost to Congress nominee Lal Thanzara in the bypolls to Aizawl North-III assembly seat in November 2015.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) president Lalliansawta said his party was yet to decide whether or not to project candidate in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
State Congress president and former Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla said his party would sit over nomination for the lone Rajya Sabha seat on Friday.
In the present assembly, the ruling MNF has 27 members while opposition ZPM has seven members.
Congress has five members while BJP has a single member in the 40-member Assembly.
Election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat in Mizoram has been scheduled for June 19 along with 23 seats in nine states – Andhra Pradesh with four seats, Karnataka – four seats, Gujarat – four seats, Rajasthan – three seats, Jharkhand – two seats, Madhya Pradesh – three seats, and one seat each in Manipur, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.
The term of the existing member Ronal Sapa Tlau of Congress will expire on July 18 next.
The last date for filing nomination papers is June 9 next.
While scrutiny of nomination papers would be undertaken on June 10, the last date for withdrawal of candidature is fixed on June 12.
Counting of votes will be held on June 19.