Mizoram Elections 2023: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday arrived in Aizawl on a two-day visit to the poll-bound state of Mizoram to campaign for the party. The Congress MP arrived in Aizawl aboard a helicopter from Tripura's capital Agartala, Mizoram Congress media cell chairman Lalremruata Renthlei said, as quoted by PTI. The leader has begun his campaign for the November 7 assembly elections with a padayatra from Chanmari to Raj Bhawan in Aizawl. He will address a rally near the governor's house.
Gandhi is also slated to interact with students in the evening, Renthlei said, as quoted by PTI. On Tuesday, the former Congress chief will meet party leaders and address a press conference in Aizawl. He will also visit Lunglei town and address a public meeting there.
Renthlei said that Rahul Gandhi will leave for Delhi via Agartala by a chopper from Lunglei on Tuesday.
The 40-seat assembly of Mizoram will go to polls on November 7 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3, along with the four other states -- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) and main opposition party Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) have already announced the names of their candidates for all 40 seats. Congress is likely to announce the names of candidates during Gandhi's visit. The BJP said that it will release the list of its candidates for elections in the next two to three days.
According to PTI, political parties, churches, civil society organisations and student bodies have urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to reschedule the counting date as it falls on Sunday, which is a sacred day for the Christian community of the state. Notably, Christians account for around 87 per cent of Mizoram's population, according to the 2011 census, the news agency mentioned.