Mizoram’s chief minister-designate and MNF chief Zoramthanga on Thursday all but distanced himself from the North East Democratic Alliance (Neda) because of “anti-Christian BJP”.

The response of the Mizo National Front leader, when asked if all the chief ministers and ministers from the Northeast invited to his swearing-in have been invited as part of Neda or as important regional parties, suggested as much.

“No. Not in the name of regional parties or as Neda constituents because now the name Neda does not sound much attractive to the people. Only in the name of the government... Everybody (invitees) will be addressed as chief minister or minister of so and so state, not in the name of the parties or Neda,” Zoramthanga, 74, who has returned to the Assembly after two successive defeats, said.

Zoramthanga will be sworn in as the chief minister for the third term at Raj Bhavan in Aizawl on Saturday.

Among the invitees are AGP’s Atul Bora and Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, National People’s Party's James Sangma and United Democratic Party's Donkupar Roy, all Neda constituents, and Neda convener Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also a senior cabinet minister in Assam.

Neda is a platform of non-Congress parties constituted by the BJP just after the swearing-in of its government in Assam on May 24, 2016 with the objective of making the Northeast Congress-mukt. This they succeeded in doing, after MNF, a Neda constituent, unseated the Congress’s last Northeast bastion in Mizoram in the polls held on November 28. The MNF won 26 of the 40 seats against five by the Congress.

The BJP opened its account in the state, which has a 97 per cent Christians population, by winning one of the 39 seats it contested. The BJP’s vote share, however, went up from 2,139 in 2013 to 50,744 this time, that is from 0.4 per cent to eight per cent.

Why is Neda not so attractive now?

Zoramthanga said it was because of the BJP. “The BJP is looked upon as anti-Christian in Mizoram. The Church is very powerful. We lost quite a lot of votes because of the accusation that the MNF has a very good connection with the BJP. That is the greatest salvo they (Opposition) fire at us.”

The MNF did not fight the recently concluded polls in alliance with the BJP.

The MNF’s efforts to distance itself from the BJP was also underlined in Zoramthanga’s response to whether Buddha Dhan Chakma, the BJP MLA, would be included in his council of ministers. “No, no, no. They (BJP) will not be a part (of the government) because my party has 26 of the 40 seats and the BJP has only one. Nobody will be included (from outside) in my ministry,” he said.

Another reason not to induct the BJP candidate could be the fiat by NGO Coordination Committee, an influential forum of civil society groups and communities, not to field Chakma candidates in the Assembly polls. Including Chakma in the new ministry after securing a majority on its own could invite their wrath, a situation MNF would want to avoid.

The majority Mizos consider minority communities such as Chakmas and Brus as outsiders.