Ganesh Rai, the chief coordinator of the Citizen Action Party (CAP), on Tuesday sought to position his newly-formed party as an alternative to both the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and the main opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) by taking up corruption as the central plank in next year’s Sikkim Assembly elections.

Speaking at an event to announce the names of CAP’s central executive council office-bearers at Saramsa near here, Rai said corruption remained a major issue facing the state and that needed to be tackled on a priority basis. “We have formed an anti-corruption cell in the party. We will ensure that there is no corruption within the party,” he said.

Rai said his party should first probe the SKM’s allegations of “unaccounted properties” owned by him in Siliguri. “If I am corrupt, I will not have any moral ground to become the president of the party.”

Rai said the party had also decided to go for crowdfunding in order to ensure that there was no corruption.