Rahul Gandhi to counter PM Modi in Imphal today

New Delhi: After Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed an election rally in poll-bound Manipur, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to campaign in the north eastern state on Tuesday.

Manipur is one of the last northeastern bastions of the Congress after Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were whisked away from it. Chief minister Ibobi Singh has been in power since 2002 and is expecting a fourth consecutive term in the 60-member strong Assembly.

The Congress is not taking any chances having roped in Central leaders who are campaigning under general secretary incharge C.P. Joshi’s guidance. In the previous two Assembly elections, the grand old party faced regional parties but finds the BJP as its main challenger this time around.

The BJP is upbeat as it is relying on the anti-incumbency. It is also buoyed by the fact that it managed to open its account in Manipur during the bypolls held in two Assembly seats in 2015.

The BJP has targeted the Congress government over irregular salaries, land-grabbing, drinking water problem and law and order issues besides other corruption charges.

The PM, in his rally, implied that to get any work done in Manipur, people pay 10 per cent commission. “Manipur needs a zero per cent chief minister,” he had said.

The nearly four-month long economic blockade by the United Naga Council has also brewed resentment among people against the Congress as it has resulted in unprecedented rise in prices of essential commodities.

The Congress is also facing stiff challenge from activist-turned-politician Irom Sharmila, who  launched her own party, People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance, in August last year, and is contesting from two constituencies,  one of them the CM’s. The state goes to polls in two phases on March 4-8.