Who is Baryl Vanneihsangi? Mizoram’s popular RJ-turned youngest MLA
Aizawl: The recently concluded Mizoram Assembly election saw many firsts, one of which was the winning of a 32-year-old woman MLA candidate, the youngest in the state. Baryl Vanneihsangi, a former TV presenter, won from the Aizawl South-III constituency by 1,414 votes. Vanneihsangi is from the newly-crowned party in the state, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM).
The ZPM, which is also Mizoram’s newest party, won the election by capturing 27 seats out of a total of 40, thrashing the previous incumbent Mizo National Front (MNF).
Baryl Vanneihsangi secured victory by garnering a total of 9,370 votes, defeating MNF’s candidate F Lalnunmawia. Vanneihsangi has previously worked as a corporator in Aizawl Municipal Corporation (AMC), as per the affidavit in the Election Commission.
She previously worked as a TV presenter and radio jockey before shifting gears to politics. She has been into radio since 2015 and then shifted to digital media to work as a TV presenter for a local news channel.
In one of her interviews she said she wants to revolutionise the education sector of the state. Not only that, she said that her age is an advantage that can help her do several things. “I am pretty young, energetic and dare to do new things”, said Vanneihsangi in the interview. She also spoke about gender equality and urged women to follow their passion.
“I just want to tell all the women out there that our gender doesn’t stop us from doing anything that we like and wish to pursue. It doesn’t prevent us from taking up something that we are passionate about. My message to them is that regardless of which community or social strata they belong to, if they want to take up something they should just go for it,” she told the news agency.
Vanneihsangi has a Master of Arts degree from the North Eastern Hill University in Shillong.
Out of the 174 candidates contesting the Mizoram election, only 16 were women. Three women became MLAs on Monday, making it the first time the state saw three women MLAs. Lalrinpuii and Baryl Vanneihsangi are from the victorious ZPM, while Pravo Chakma is from the outgoing MNF.
