Rahul starts Meghalaya poll battle with concert

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday kicked- off the Assembly election campaign in Congress- ruled Meghalaya by addressing a meeting of party workers and supporters at Jowai in Jaintia Hills. Mr Gandhi who interacted with the party workerssupporters in Shillong also attended a music concert “Celebrate Peace and Way of Life” a celebration of Meghalaya’s music, culture and way of life of the people in the evening.

Voting for the 60- member Meghalaya Assembly will be held on February 27 and results will be declared on March 3.

Party leaders said the Congress president will visit Meghalaya at least thrice during the election campaign.

On Wednesday, Mr Gandhi will hold a meeting and join a breakfast with various religious heads and leaders of indigenous faiths belonging to the tribal Khasi and Jaintia, besides traditional chiefs.

New Delhi, Jan. 30: The Congress has decided to field its Muslim leaders for campaigning in pollbound Karnataka to counter any possible attempt of polarisation by its rival parties during the assembly polls there, senior party leaders have said.

The Congress has also asked its leaders and functionaries in Karnataka, the lone big state under its rule at present, to refrain from engaging in any discourse that may lead to polarising voters, a leader added.

Besides Karnataka, the Congress is currently in power in Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram and the UT of Puducherry. Of these, Meghalaya goes to poll on February 27.

The term of the Sid dar a mai ah-led Karnataka government ends in the mid of this year. The election to the 224- member capacity state assembly is expected to be held before that.

“There is always a possibility of our opponents indulging in polarisation to consolidate votes,” one of the leaders claimed.