When the ZPM defeated both the Congress and the MNF in 2023, its core pitch was a moral one: transparency, clean governance, and a break fr...

When the ZPM defeated both the Congress and the MNF in 2023, its core pitch was a moral one: transparency, clean governance, and a break from transactional politics. By mid-2026, state Congress VP Lalnunmawia Chuaungo alleges the party has done precisely what it replaced — amending the Lokayukta Act to reduce the independent anti-corruption watchdog's reach, and bringing restricted tender approvals directly under CMO control. The structural absurdity deepens when you look at the budget: Mizoram generates only 16% of its revenue internally, meaning the government being accused of centralising power over tenders is also the government funding 84% of those tenders with money from Delhi. The ZPM has not publicly addressed the specific Lokayukta allegation. The Congress, which was the incumbent the ZPM ran against on anti-corruption grounds, is now campaigning on anti-corruption grounds against the ZPM.