Mizoram Assembly Polls: Rahul Gandhi to Campaign in State from Monday

AIZAWL:  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to campaign in Mizoram for three days ahead of the November 7 Assembly elections, according to party officials on Friday.

AICC Media Coordinator and in-charge for Mizoram, Mathew Anthony, confirmed that Gandhi would be in Mizoram from October 16. On the first day, he is scheduled to interact with locals and walk from the Chandmari junction to the Treasury Bhawan in Aizawl. Gandhi will also participate in various organizational and campaign-related events before returning to Delhi on October 18.

The Congress aims to regain power in Mizoram, where it was voted out in 2018, with the Mizo National Front (MNF) taking control. State Congress chief Lalsawta recently stated that the party would field candidates in all 40 Assembly seats, and the Central Election Committee is expected to announce the candidates soon.

The Congress has formed the 'Mizoram Secular Alliance' (MSA) with two local parties, the People's Conference (PC) and the Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), in an effort to unite against the BJP. Lalsawta emphasized the importance of political parties joining this alliance for the well-being and religious survival of the Mizos. The MSA resolution cited concerns that since 2014, the Centre has made concentrated efforts to diminish minority communities, particularly tribals, and enact legislation that could lead to the establishment of a Hindu kingdom, a situation the MSA refuses to accept silently. The resolution further expressed concern that India has become one of the top countries where Christians are not safe.

In the current Assembly, the Congress has five members, while the PC and the ZNP have no representation.

Meanwhile, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, who also serves as the president of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), expressed unwavering confidence on Tuesday that his party, which he described as "baptised with martyrs' blood," will successfully retain power in the forthcoming assembly elections. The seasoned politician's statement harks back to the turbulent two-decade-long insurgency era when the MNF operated as an armed faction. It eventually transitioned into the political mainstream in 1986 following the signing of the Mizo Peace Accord, emerging as a political party.

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