Assets Analysis of Candidate's in Mizoram reveals 800 percent rise in just five years

Guwahati: With few days to go for the Assembly elections in Mizoram, the assets declared by the candidates of different political parties in their nomination papers have been a talk of the town.

According to a report by two civil society organisation, reveals that the assets of Lal Rinliana Sailo, who is contesting the election on a Mizo National Front (MNF) ticket after switching over from Congress a month ago, has raised by a whopping 797 per cent in the past five years

The two Civil society groups of Mizoram, the the Mizoram Election Watch (MEW) and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) who has assessed the assets of the contesting candidates for the November 28 Mizoram Assembly elections , have found that Sailo has declared total assets of Rs.3,22,85,100 in his affidavit for the forthcoming elections as against and assets of Rs of Rs. 36,01,219 as per the affidavit filed by him during the 2013 Assembly polls.

While the MNF leader has declared his source of income as "politician" and that of his spouse is mentioned as "monthly salary from Government of Mizoram", the report said.

It may be mentioned that Mr Sailo, a former health minister, resigned from the state Assembly on October 3 this year and also stepped down as the member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), General Secretary of the Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee and quit the primary membership of the ruling party on the same day.

He later joined the MNF and is contesting the Assembly poll from Chalfilh constituency.

The 40-member Mizoram Assembly will witness 32 candidates contesting the ensuing Assembly elections who have also contested the previous Assembly elections in 2013. The assets of all these candidates in the last five years have seen an average rise of 11.56 per cent at Rs.3,57,61,158.90 as against Rs. 3,20,55,193.51 five years ago.

The report also reveals that Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla's total assets have increased by 33.29 per cent to Rs.12,20,19,747 in 2018 from Rs. 9,15,45,980 in 2013,.

The CM has mentioned his source of income is "salary and rental income", his wife's earnings are attributed to "licence from the quarry at Sakawrtuichhun", it said.

The civil society organisations report has also found that assets of another Congress leader R Vanlalvena's have jumped by 133.30 per cent to Rs. 67,73,320 from Rs. 29,03,257 during the last five-year period.

As per the analysis, MNF candidate K Beichhua's income has also ascended by 128.55 per cent to Rs.3,13,77,608 compared to Rs. 1,37,29,000 five years ago.

Congress candidate Lal Thanzara's assets, too, rose by 103.79 per cent to Rs. 2,39,93,835 in 2018 from Rs. 1,17,73,796 in 2013, the report said.

However, the report also have names of four candidates whose assets have declined during the period between 2012-108

Assets value of Ruling Congress candidates Ngurdingliana and Zodintluanga Ralte have dipped by 66.17 per cent and 7.72 per cent, respectively, in the last five years.

The report has found that assets of former Speaker of Mizoram Assembly, Hiphei, who left the Congress and joined the BJP earlier this month, falling by 52.32 per cent in over the last five years.

The value of another MNF candidate K Sangthuama's total assets have also declined by 51.96 per cent, the report highlighted.

It is worth mentioning that the Congress has been in power in Mizoram since 2008 and is hoping to retain the seat of power for the third consecutive term. In the 2013 Assembly elections, the Congress won 34 seats, while the MNF had five and Mizoram People's Conference managed to bag only one seat.

Both the major players in the state's political scenario, the Congress and the MNF are contesting in all the 40 constituencies this time, while the BJP who is going all out to scale to power for the first time in Mizoram, is contesting in 39 seats

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