Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who gave Himachal Pradesh election marketing campaign a miss, is about to undertake a quick publicity drive, ranging from November 21, for the Gujarat meeting elections, folks conversant in the matter mentioned.
Polling for the 182-member Gujarat legislative meeting will likely be held in two phases on December 1 and 5. Counting of votes will likely be completed on December 8.
Gandhi’s ballot marketing campaign in Gujarat will likely be a brief one, mentioned a Congress chief. “We expect him to come back for simply two days,” the chief mentioned, requesting anonymity.
BK Hariprasad, one of many get together’s 5 zonal observers for the upcoming meeting elections, nonetheless, mentioned: “Rahul ji is our vital campaigner. He will certainly marketing campaign for each phases of the elections. Within the first section, he’ll marketing campaign in South Gujarat and Saurashtra.”
The previous Congress president’s presence in Saurashtra will likely be vital because the get together has a powerful maintain within the area. In 2017 meeting elections, the Congress swept the Saurashtra area which helped it to bag 77 seats within the meeting and preserve the ruling Bharatiya Janata Social gathering (BJP) to below 100 seats within the 182-member Home.
Equally, in South Gujarat, the place the BJP gained in Surat and adjoining areas, the Congress carried out properly in Scheduled Tribe belts.
Of the 182 meeting constituencies within the state, practically 50% or 90 seats fall in Saurashtra and South Gujarat areas.
“Within the second section of the elections, Rahul ji will cowl North and Central Gujarat,” mentioned Hariprasad.
Rahul Gandhi, the Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad in Kerala, has launched into the formidable Bharat Jodo Yatra since September 7 and is amongst a number of members who’ve lined all the route to date strolling. The yatra goals to flag points such because the financial woes and social concord, nonetheless, it doesn’t cowl Gujarat.
Within the Himachal Pradesh elections, voting for which passed off on November 12, Gandhi didn’t participate within the ballot marketing campaign and as an alternative targeted totally on the foot march. Congress basic secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was the one member from the Gandhi household to marketing campaign within the hilly state.
Social gathering insiders identified that Gujarat elections would require the complete may of the Congress marketing campaign given its context.
The Congress has been out of energy in Gujarat since 1995. “A victory for the Congress in Gujarat would have a nationwide significance forward of the 2024 basic elections,” mentioned a senior Congress chief, requesting anonymity.
Congress leaders, nonetheless, admit it will be an uphill process to defeat the BJP, which has been in energy in Gujarat for the final 27 years, within the upcoming polls. “It could be extraordinarily troublesome to defeat the BJP. However final time, we restrain the BJP to 99 seats. If we are able to shrink the BJP additional, that too, could be a serious booster for the get together within the upcoming polls,” mentioned one other get together chief.