Laldenga chats with Lalthanhawla during the swearing-in ceremony in 1986 and (right) the Mizo National Front headquarters on Tuesday

When the rest of the parties are busy inventing catchy slogans, the ruling Mizo National Front has fallen back on a prescription written out by its firebrand founder-member Laldenga 22 years ago to battle the rising anti-incumbency wave.

In 1986, when the party joined mainstream politics, shedding its garb as an insurgent outfit after signing a peace agreement with the Centre, Laldenga charted out the MNF’s credo to champion Mizo heritage in every sphere of life.

After governing the state for the 10 years and having faced the people’s discontent on a number of occasions, the party is now hoping that the “save our heritage” mantra will steer it to victory once again. As the low-key campaign picks up for the December 2 Assembly elections, party members are revising their poll agenda to ensure that it reflects a healthy dose of “regionalism” or “local patriotism”.

“The Mizos are usually swayed by local patriotism,” F. Aiichinga, the gentle and suave chief spokesman of the ruling party and its chief strategist, said, while voicing concern over the anti-incumbency wave.

Even the clergy agree.

“The pride in being a Mizo in inherent in the local people,” Rev. Zairema said.

Little wonder then that the MNF’s poll manifesto abounds with promises of “regional” schemes to safeguard Mizo culture and tradition.

Even the economy plans are intertwined with the “regionalism” slogan.

The focus will be on the use of local resources like forests, besides sectors like power, roads, education, health, agriculture and horticulture.

The party is also promising to push for a high court after being granted Mizoram University, its much-coveted central institution.

It has also vowed to institutionalise the reimbursement of expenses incurred by the poor in medical treatment in the state and outside.

This, the MNF leaders hope, will goad elderly Mizos to vote for the them.

The party has pledged to modernise agriculture and horticulture, particularly farming of passion fruit, blue grapes and anthurium flowers to create more income-generating avenues.

But the flurry of promises look small compared to the charges of corruption levelled against several of its party members.

Both the Congress and the United Democratic Alliance, a front comprising the Mizoram People’s Conference and Zoram Nationalist Party, have been charging the MNF with lopsided development. They refer to the 60-MW Bairabhi thermal project and a referral hospital at Chhatlang in Aizawl, which are yet to be completed even though the ruling party has been “pumping funds” into the projects.

The MNF bagged 21 seats in the 2003 Assembly polls, garnering 31.7 per cent of the votes, while the Congress picked up 30.1 per cent votes with 10 seats. This time, the MNF will contest 39 of the 40 Assembly seats, leaving one to its long-time ally, the Mara Democratic Party.