Manipur polls: Sonia, Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh among Cong's star campaigners

New Delhi, Feb 14: Congress on Monday announced its star campaigners for the upcoming state elections in Manipur. Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, former chief Rahul Gandhi and Jairam Ramesh are among the 30-star campaigners for polls.

Though Sonia Gandhi is also the party's star campaigner for other states, where polls are being held, neither she nor former prime minister Manmohan Singh has actively campaigned anywhere so far.

The list of star campaigners also includes the names of former Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh, former deputy chief minister Gaikhangam, youth leader Kanhaiya Kumar, party's minority department chief Imran Pratapgarhi and Mahila Congress chief Metta D'Souza. Apart from Ramesh, who is overseeing assembly polls in the state, Congress in charge for Manipur Bhakta Charan Das and a host of local leaders are also part of the list.

The Congress along with five other 'like-minded' parties launched the Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance last week to take on the ruling BJP in the upcoming assembly polls. Besides the Congress, the other parties in the alliance are CPI, CPM, RSP, JD (S) and Forward Bloc. An 18-point common agenda was also finalised.

The state elections will be held in two phase on February 28 and March 5.