Lalduhoma, a retired IPS official, was the opposition leader representing the Zoram People’s Movement.
The first member of the Indian parliament to be disqualified from the Lok Sabha has now been disqualified as a member of the board of directors in Mizoram.
Mizoram Assembly Speaker Lalrinliana Sailo on Friday excluded Lalduhoma, a retired IPS official who was in charge of security for former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, of the 40-member House.
The disqualification was based on the fact that Mr. Lalduhoma had declared himself a representative of the Zoram Popular Movement (ZPM) despite being elected as an independent candidate from the Serchhip Assembly constituency. “He lost his status as an independent legislator because of the declaration,” Sailo said.
The disqualification earned 71-year-old Mr. Lalduhoma the dubious distinction of facing the same fate in Parliament and in an Assembly.
In 1988, the former police officer became the first deputy to be disqualified under the Anti-drift Act for resigning from membership in Congress (I). He was elected to the unopposed Lok Sabha in 1984 as a candidate for Congress, but clashed with the party leadership.
He formed the Mizo National Union, which was later merged with the regional Mizoram People’s Convention. Later he joined the Mizo National Front but split to form the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP).
Before the 2018 Assembly elections, the ZNP and five other regional parties formed the ZPM. More forum than party, the ZPM won seven seats in the Assembly to become the main opposition party.
With the disqualification of Mr. Lalduhoma, the ZPM now has six MLAs, one more than Congress.
MNF petition
In September, 12 MNF legislators in power had petitioned the president demanding the disqualification of Mr. Lalduhoma for allegedly violating the Constitution.
The MLA alleged that Mr. Lalduhoma, elected as an independent, had violated paragraph 2 (2) of the Tenth Annex of the Constitution by defecting to the ZPM. They also said that he had indulged in ZPM activities by attending the party office and bringing in new party members in office throughout Mizoram, which “clearly stated that he defected to the ZPM.”
The Assembly delivered a notice of show of cause to Mr. Lalduhoma on September 24 seeking an explanation. In his response to the Spokesperson on October 8, he denied defection because “I have continuously maintained my loyalty to the ZPM since its formation in 2017.”
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