Cong V-P to spearhead Guj campaign
CONGRESS IS HOPING FOR A TURNAROUND IN GUJARAT THIS TIME WITH THE RULING BJP CONTESTING THE ELECTIONS UNDER A NEW LEADERSHIP
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has decided to maximise his time in poll-bound Gujarat to woo voters in the run-up to the assembly elections.
He will campaign extensively across the BJP-ruled state for three days in the last week of September and nine days in the first fortnight of October.
This is second time in his political career that the Congress V-P will undertake such an extensive campaign in any state. He had spent about 25 days in two months, September and October last year, in Uttar Pradesh for this year’s state polls.
Gandhi will kick-off his 12-day ‘Jan Samvad Yatra’ in Saurashtra region from Dwarka on September 25.
The party has divided the state into four zones for the yatra. While he will travel North Gujarat from October 4 to 6, the central part of the state will be covered from October 9 to 11.
He will then take his yatra to South Gujarat from October 14 to 16 to end the yatra.
Gandhi's programme was finalised at a meeting of state Congress leaders on Monday.
He is expected to return to the country from his two-week US tour on September 22-23.
The Congress is hoping for a turnaround in Gujarat this time with the ruling BJP fighting the upcoming assembly elections under a new leadership.
Many Gujarat Congress leaders are of the view that the polls are the best opportunity for the party to oust the BJP from power after about 19 years.
However, recent visits by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to their home state have already set the tone for the BJP’s campaign.
After the yatra, the Congress is also preparing another round of an exhaustive campaign programme for Gandhi ahead of the assembly elections, scheduled to be held in December this year.
Congress sources said Gandhi is personally supervising the party’s poll preparations in Gujarat and expected to firm up alliances with different groups and individuals who have launched a front against the ruling BJP on various issues.