Aizawl, November 5: Mizoram assembly speaker Hiphei on Monday resigned from his post, House and the Congress party ahead of the elections in the state. Hiphei said he submitted his resignation letter to Deputy Speaker R Lalrinawma, who accepted it. He later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Hiphei had recently met the central leaders of the BJP in Guwahati.

Hiphei's resignation comes days after the Congress dropped his name from Palak seat in the list of candidates released for the Mizoram assembly elections. The Congress replaced him with former legislator and party general secretary KT Rokhaw for the Palak seat. EC Removes Mizoram Officer for Meddling with Poll Process.

Soon after the Congress released its list on October 24, people started opposing Hiphei's candidature. Following growing opposition, the ruling party cancelled removed his name. Mizoram is the only state in the entire Northeast where the Congress party is in power. BJP List of Candidates For Mizoram Assembly Elections 2018.

On October 30, Hiphei visited Guwahati where he reportedly met BJP leader and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. According to the notification for November 28 assembly elections in Mizoram, the last date for submitting candidature is November 9.

The scrutiny of nominations will take place on November 12, and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is November 14. Counting of votes will take place on December 11. The five-year term of the 40-member Mizoram Assembly expires on December 15.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 05, 2018 01:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).