PM cancels campaign trip to Mizoram, Shah will fill in

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his planned campaign trip to Mamit in poll-bound Mizoram on October 30, a senior BJP leader said here on Saturday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will fill in for Modi, but his date of campaigning is yet to be decided, state BJP media convener Johny Lalthanpuia told PTI.

Lalthanpuia, however, did not cite any reason for the cancellation of Modi’s visit.

Another senior BJP leader and union minister Nitin Gadkari is likely to campaign in the northeastern state on Monday for the November 7 assembly elections, Lalthanpuia said.

Shah will visit Mamit and the southern part of the state, he said. The BJP is eyeing the votes of linguistic minorities such as Chakma, Bru, Mara and Lai community people living in the southern part of the state.

The saffron party, which contested 39 seats in the last assembly polls in 2018, has fielded 23 nominees this time. BJP president JP Nadda had on Friday released the party’s manifesto, promising 33 per cent reservation for women in government jobs and solution to the long-standing border dispute with Assam, among others.