Rahul Gandhi arrives in Aizawl for two-day visit to poll-bound Mizoram

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in Mizoram’s Aizawl on Monday for a two-day visit to the election-bound state, where he will participate in a march, address rallies, and hold interactions and meetings. Gandhi flew from Delhi to the Tripura capital Agartala on a special flight and took a helicopter to Aizawl.

Congress’s Mizoram chief Lalsawta said Gandhi would start his campaign with around 1.5 km march from Chanmari in Aizawl to the governor’s residence and later address a public gathering and hold an hour-long interaction with students on Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, Gandhi will meet Congress leaders and address a press conference. He will then travel to Lunglei and address a public meeting before flying back to Delhi via Agartala.

Gandhi’s visit is the first by a top Congress leader following last week’s announcement of assembly polls on November 7. Congress, which is expected to announce the list of its candidates on Monday, lost power to Mizo National Front (MNF) in 2018. It managed to get just five of the 40 assembly seats and finished third after MNF and Zoram Peoples’ Movement, a newly formed party which bagged eight seats.

Gandhi’s visit comes after the Mizoram Peoples Forum (MPF), an independent body of church elders and members of three prominent organisations, signed an agreement with political parties that they would not hold public processions after the announcement of the poll schedule. “We will keep a check on Gandhi’s schedule to ensure that it is not violated,” said MPF general secretary Lalramliana Pachuau.

Mizoram Congress president Lalsawta Gandhi’s programmes will not violate the agreement. “Gandhi will undertake the march with a few people and our party cadres would not participate.”