Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will kickstart party’s campaign for the high-stakes 2027 Punjab assembly elections from chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s home turf Sangrur on November 4.
The announcement was made on Sunday by state Congress chief Pargat Singh who described Malwa as a key region in the state’s electoral politics.
As part of the planning for Rahul’s visit, Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal arrived here. He was received by Pargat, Leader of Opposition in state assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, and Ludhiana Congress MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring at the Chandigarh Airport. Sachin Pilot, party’s state in-charge, was also present.
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Venugopal will be meeting senior party leaders and district presidents on October 26. Apart from chalking out Rahul’s itinerary, the meetings would also discuss the campaign roadmap and organisational preparedness, party leaders familiar with the matter said. Venugopal’s meetings come amid efforts by the Congress high command to improve coordination within the Punjab unit reeling under factionalism that saw Pilot replacing Bhupesh Baghel as party affairs’ in-charge and Pargat taking over reins of state Congress from Warring. All senior leaders have been called at Chandigarh and will be assigned roles for the crucial polls due early next year, revealed a senior party leader, pleading anonymity. This will be Rahul’s first visit to Punjab after Pargat’s appointment as PPCC chief.
{{/usCountry}}Venugopal will be meeting senior party leaders and district presidents on October 26. Apart from chalking out Rahul’s itinerary, the meetings would also discuss the campaign roadmap and organisational preparedness, party leaders familiar with the matter said. Venugopal’s meetings come amid efforts by the Congress high command to improve coordination within the Punjab unit reeling under factionalism that saw Pilot replacing Bhupesh Baghel as party affairs’ in-charge and Pargat taking over reins of state Congress from Warring. All senior leaders have been called at Chandigarh and will be assigned roles for the crucial polls due early next year, revealed a senior party leader, pleading anonymity. This will be Rahul’s first visit to Punjab after Pargat’s appointment as PPCC chief.
{{/usCountry}}Pargat said the state Congress would accelerate its political and organisational activities with ‘Mission 2027’ in focus. He added that the party would keep public issues at the centre of its campaign and strengthen coordination with workers across the state. The programme scheduled to take place in Sangrur on November 4 will be an important step in this direction, he added. According to Pargat, Rahul’s visit will encourage party leaders and workers to unite and intensify their election preparations.
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Party planning cycle rallies in Malwa, Majha, Doaba
“Kick-starting the party campaign forward from Sangrur is part of our strategy,” Pargat said. Malwa accounts for 69 of the total 117 seats in the state assembly and thus has a significant bearing on the electoral outcome. The region is also central to the party’s efforts to challenge the Aam Aadmi Party in the run-up to the elections, said party leaders in know of the matter.
“The party is on firm foot in Majha and Doaba, and high command wants to focus more on Malwa,” they added. In the 2022 elections, AAP’s Narinder Kaur Bharaj defeated Congress candidate Vijay Inder Singla by 36,430 votes. In the Sangrur district, all five seats, including Lehra, Dirba, Sunam, Dhuri and Sangrur, were won by AAP. Mann won the Dhuri seat by a huge margin of 58,206 votes.
“The rally venue will be finalised soon. The Punjab Congress wants that Rahul should visit family of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh, alias Jhota, who was killed in broad daylight in Mansa,” said another leader.
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Planning a wider public outreach campaign, the party is planning three 10-day cycle yatras across Malwa, Majha and Doaba in November, focusing on issues including law and order, gangster violence and drug-related deaths, said party leaders privy to the development. The proposed yatras are intended to take the campaign beyond meetings and bring leaders into direct contact with people, they added. District presidents and senior leaders are expected to discuss the campaign framework and the role of local organisations in mobilising workers.