On Tuesday, when Mizoram Assembly results started pouring in, signalling a defeat for Lal Thanhawla's Congress government, the chief minister must have thought back to a decision he took soon after coming to power five years ago: To lift prohibition.

Barely a day earlier, in anticipation of which way the wind might blow, he had apologised. Not to the people of Mizoram, but the Church. Similarly, when results were declared, the first thing that Mizo National Front (MNF) chief Zoramthanga said was that he would undo his predecessor's act. Prohibition was put in place by the influential Presbyterian Church, whose role in Mizoram is akin to 'Big Brother'. The Church has significant clout in the region, so much that Mizo identity is linked to the Church.

Before the election, when state election commissioner SB Shashank tried to revise the electoral list by including the names of Bru voters (people who shifted to north Tripura after a spate of ethnic violence in Mizoram), protests erupted in the state. The decision to transfer principal secretary Lalnunmawia Chuaungo also led to protests. In Mizoram, even the Centre has to concede to the Church's might.

And the Church keeps a close watch on elections in Mizoram. Election watchdogs backed by the Church — the Mizo People's Forum and Young Mizo Association — have been formed to ensure there are no anomalies. The most influential of these bodies is the All NGO Coordination Committee, which encouraged parties against fielding candidates from the Bru or Chakma minorities.