Congress plans mega campaign to reach out to Maha voters

Congress is planning a major drive in Maharashtra to boost the party ahead of the 2024 elections. Leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi will cover all six regions of the state through pad and bus yatras. The split in the NCP has weakened the MVA coalition, providing an opportunity for Congress to regain its foothold in the state. Senior leaders will also be assigned responsibility for specific Lok Sabha constituencies in the upcoming elections.

Mumbai: In the backdrop of a recent turn of events in Maharashtra politics, Congress is focusing on giving a boost to the party organisation ahead of the upcoming general and assembly elections scheduled for 2024. The party is planning a major drive to reach out to the people ahead of the polls.

New Delhi, India - July 11, 2023: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal arrives for a meeting with party leaders of Maharashtra at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday, July 11, 2023.(HT PHOTO)

All the three top party leaders—president Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi—are expected to cover all six regions of the state. The party will launch a pad yatra (foot march) in each district, a bus yatra covering the entire state among other initiatives.

The split in Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has not only weakened the party but has hampered the prospects of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition of the three parties—Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress in the upcoming elections.

Considering the split in two regional parties—Shiv Sena and NCP—as a dangerous trend by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress leadership is worried that their state unit may be targeted by adopting the same tactics. At the same time, they are looking at it as an opportunity for them to regain its lost footprints in the state that has 48 Lok Sabha seats and 288 assembly constituencies, Congress insiders said.

Kharge and Rahul Gandhi called a meeting of senior leaders of the state unit on Tuesday. In the meeting that lasted for four hours in Delhi, the leaders discussed the current political scenario and party’s strategy for the upcoming elections.

It was decided that they need to focus on Maharashtra by organising various initiatives with the help of top leadership, according to a senior Congress leader.

“The drive will be started with pad yatra (foot march) to be held by senior leaders in the state. The pad yatras are going to be carried out in all the 36 districts,” the Congress leader said.

Soon after the pad yatra, the party will hold a bus yatra which will travel to all the parts of the state. “And convey the message the party wants to give to the people,” another senior Congress functionary said.

Atul Londhe, chief spokesperson, state Congress, said they want all the three top leaders Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to divide the six regions among themselves and ensure that at least two regions will be covered by one of them. “A proper plan will be made by the state leadership and tentative dates will be sent to the leadership for approval based on which dates will be finalised,” he said. “Rahul ji may visit in September,” he added.

The party leadership will also ask its senior leader to take responsibility of one Lok Sabha during the general elections. “Of the total seats, the party is going to get as an MVA partner, one senior leader will be made in-charge of one Lok Sabha constituency so that the party can improve its tally in the 2024 elections,” Londhe remarked.