IMPHAL: The Congress in Manipur is upbeat about party president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state for Lok Sabha poll campaigning. The party, which has the state’s two Lok Sabha seats with it at present, thinks that Rahul has the ability to turn the tide in favour of the Grand Old Party in the state which is ruled by BJP and its allies at present.Riding on the Modi wave, BJP came to power in the state two years ago by ousting Congress which was in power for decades. But at present, Congress is trying its best to take control of the state again.Talking to TOI, former Congress MLA and a ticket-seeker for the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha Constituency, Irengbam Hemochandra Singh, expressed confidence that Rahul will surely be able to garner the much-needed support for the party. “I have full faith in him and he will take our party to greater heights.” The former legislator from the Singjamei assembly segment added that the candidate for the Inner Manipur constituency will be announced from New Delhi once Rahul returns to the national capital after visiting Manipur.On the other hand, BJP leader Robin Blackei claimed that Rahul’s visit to the state is not going to have any impact on BJP’s poll prospects. “Congress is a dying party but we are growing very fast. At present, we have five lakh primary members and our candidates will easily beat their contenders, be it in the Inner Manipur or Outer Manipur seat.” He added that development work taken up by the Biren Singh-led government proves that BJP is working for the welfare of the state.The treasurer of the BJP state unit further said the action taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the country’s security is appreciated by one and all, including people of Manipur. “It is therefore our trust that this appreciation will be translated into votes in this coming general election,” he added.Blackei also belittled the entry of Manipur actor Somendro Rajkumar, popularly known as Kaiku, into the political arena as a candidate for the Lok Sabha election. “We have seen popular activists and leaders like ‘Pahari’ (Manipuri singer) and Khaidem Mani (lawyer and rights activist) failing to make any impact when it comes to politics. Therefore, Kaiku will be no match for our candidate.”Claiming that it is a political strategy to have a friendly fight with NPP, an NDA ally, in the Outer Manipur LS seat, Blackei said the face-off will neither affect BJP’s equation with NPP nor the winnability of its candidate.

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