Rahul Gandhi to make 3-day visit to poll-bound Mizoram from Oct 16

NEW DELHI: Ahead of November 7 Mizoram Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would campaign for the party in the state for three days from October 16, party leaders said on Friday.

AICC Media Coordinator and in-charge for Mizoram Mathew Anthony said that Gandhi would be in Mizoram from October 16 and on the first day, would interact and walking along with the people from the Chandmari junction to the Treasury Bhawan in Aizawl.

Before returning to Delhi on October 18, he would attend a number of organisational and campaign related events.

The Congress was voted out of power in 2018 by the Mizo National Front (MNF). State Congress chief Lalsawta recently said that the party would field candidates in all the 40 Assembly seats and the Central Election Committee would soon announce the names of the candidates.

The Congress has recently formed ‘Mizoram Secular Alliance’ (MSA) with two local parties --- People’s Conference (PC) and Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP). Lalsawta said that the MSA was formed to unitedly fight against the BJP. The Congress leader, referring to the resolution adopted by the MSA, urged the other political parties to join the alliance for the survival of the Mizos and their religion.

"It is alleged that ever since the saffron party and its allies came to power at the Centre in 2014, there have been concerted efforts to demolish the minority communities, especially the tribals, and to usher in a Hindu kingdom by a series of legislations, to which the Mizoram Secular Alliance does not want to remain a silent spectator.

"India has become one of the top countries where Christians are not safe," the MSA resolution said.

In the current Assembly, the Congress has five members while the PC and the ZNP don't have any representation.