UDF announces common candidate for lone LS seat in Mizoram

Aizawl, Mar 19: The eight-party opposition combine today announced that the United Democratic Front (UDF) would nominate Robert Romawia Royte as its common candidate for the election to the lone

Lok Sabha seat.

The combine at a press conference also announced the name of M Dawngliana as its common candidate for by-election to the Hrangturzo assembly constituency Polling for the Lok Sabha seat and by-election to the Hrangturzo seat would be held simultaneously on April nine.

Robert Romawia Royte, (47), a former government employee, is the chief managing director of the North East Consultancy Service (NECS) and consultant of Nagaland and Meghalaya state governments while M. Dawngliana is a retired Mizoram Civil Service (MCS) officer.

The UDF, comprising the Mizo National Front (MNF), the Mizoram People's Conference (MPC), the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), the Maraland Democratic Front (MDF), the Hmar People's Convention (HPC), the Paite Tribes Council (PTC), the BJP and the NCP would kick-off its campaign in Aizawl tomorrow.

After brief hiccups in the alliance, when the ZNP, BJP and the HPC formed a separate alliance, the UDF constituents finally agreed to fight the ruling Congress unitedly, former Deputy Speaker Vanlalhlana said. Vanlalhlana said that the Lok Sabha candidate Royte, if elected would join the NDA in Parliament.

The two common candidates would contest the election and by-election as Independents and use 'Bus' as a symbol, he said, adding that the candidates do not belong to any political party and were acceptable to the people irrespective of party affiliations.

PTI