11 August 2010: The Lushai tribe, also known as Mizo, in Kalemyo Sagaing division, western Burma is keen on contesting the forthcoming 2010 general elections for a seat in Parliament. They are now busy undertaking a census of community members.

A member of Lushai township committee has requested the government to contest for a seat in Parliament if their population touches the 50,000 mark in Kalemyo District and Tamu District, said a tribe elder.

Therefore, Lushai people are trying to notch up a 50,000 population figure in these areas to contest the general election.

“Now we have compiled a list of 20,000 people,” said a local elder.

Lushai people had officially announced their wish to contest the election during the festival of Chapcharkut held early this year in Tahan block, Kalemyo but they have not yet nominated a candidate for the election.

In Kalemyo and Tamu districts, there are many other Chin tribes like Tidim, Falam, and Hakha. If those tribes can convert to Lushai tribe the population can touch 50,000. However, there are no figures on how many Chin live in these areas.

According to the 2008 Constitution of the Myanmar government if the minority ethnic groups can account for 0.1 per cent of the country’s population, they can have a candidate contesting for a seat in Parliament in the general elections in Burma for their own areas.

Lushai people live in Kalemyo, Sagaing division, in other parts of the country and in Mizoram northeast state of India.