Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi will campaign for their respective parties on Friday in Mizoram and Telangana, respectively, as campaigning for the remaining election-bound states gathers full pace.

PM Modi will address three campaign rallies in Mizorm's Aizwal, Lunglei and Serchhip for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The state will vote on November 28 to elect the 40-member legislative assembly. PM Modi's party has declared a list of 37 candidates, while it is expected to announce candidates for the remaining three seats soon.

Mizoram has nearly 7.7 lakh registered voters who will cast their votes at 1,167 polling stations across the state. A total of 209 candidates are reportedly in fray.

This will be Modi’s first visit to Mizoram this year after dedicating the 60 MegaWatt Tuirial Hydro-power Project to the nation in December 2017.

BJP is aiming to unsaddle the Congress in Mizoram which has been in power since 2008 and eyeing at a third term under chief minister Lal Thanhawla. In 2013 assembly elections, the Congress had won 34 seats, while the Mizo National Front (MNF) won five. The Mizo People’s Conference bagged only one seat.

An opinion poll conducted by C-voter has projected a hung assembly with the MNF projected to win 17 seats. The poll projects only 12 seats for the Congress, while the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) is projected to win nine seats, emerging as the dark horse in the northeastern state.

On the other hand, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi will be in Telangana's Medchal to release the party’s manifesto which is expected to promise waiver of all crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh. Sonia will be accompanied by her son and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. The duo will also address an election rally in the state around 6 pm.

In Telangana, Congress has formed “MahaKutami,” a grand alliance with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) , Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Muslim League, supporting them unconditionally. However, Telugu Desam Party chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandra Babu Naidu will not attend the rally.

The TDP is contesting in 14 seats in Telangana and has backed the grand alliance against Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

Telangana goes to polls on December 7. The 119-member legislative assembly was dissolved on September 6.

First Published:Nov 23, 2018 12:45 PM IST