Aizawl, Sept. 3: The fledgling Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP) of Mizoram today found another electoral ally in the NGO Co-ordination Committee, including the influential Peace Accord MNF Returnees’ Association.

Three of the eight organisations in the committee, however, declined to be signatories to the 14-point accord with the ZNP, which aspires to form the next government.

The National Trade Union of Mizoram, the Peace Accord MNF Returnees Association, the Hnam Kawng Zawngtu, the Mizo National Welfare Organisation, the Mizo Workers’ Association, the Mizo Students’ Union, the All-Mizoram Graduates Unemployed Association and the Zoram Thlirtu comprise the NGO Co-ordination Committee. Of these, the last three opted out of the alliance with the Zoram Nationalist Party.

Assembly elections are due in Mizoram in November and chief minister Zoramthanga’s Mizo National Front is believed to have a fight on its hands.

The NGO Co-ordination Committee is the second group to have been won over by the ZNP within a week. The Mizoram People’s Conference (MPC) arrived at a pre-poll understanding with the party a few days ago.

One of the signatories to the NGO Co-ordination Committee-ZNP accord, Hnam Kawng Zawngtu, said the alliance had become so strong that there was no doubt about who would form the next government.

“We believe we are descendants of the Biblical Israelites, who do not believe in the established religion of Christianity, as is practised here.

“We have never participated in elections before, but will do so now as we believe it is the will of God. You may have wondered why the number of people in this year’s electoral rolls has increased by meteoric proportions. This is because we have now enrolled ourselves in the electoral rolls,” the organisation’s vice-president, Dothuama, said.

ZNP president Lalduhoma answered a barrage of questions at a news conference after the alliance was sealed.

“Should we be fortunate enough to form a government on our own, we will not betray our alliance partners, but ask them to join us. This is possible, as was proved in West Bengal by Jyoti Basu. Though he could have done it, he never formed a government alone, always inviting the Forward Bloc to join him,” the former IPS officer and parliamentarian said.

Denying that he had approached the BJP for funds, the ZNP chief said he neither went to New Delhi recently nor approached BJP leaders, “prominent or lesser known”, for anything.