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Maha rally: Cong leaders give final touches
POLITICAL STALWARTS of the State Congress have made a beeline to the city for the Tuesday rally to be addressed by party president Sonia Gandhi. Hectic parleys were under way at the historic Phoolbagh Ground, the venue of the rally. State Congress president Salman Khurshid, Congress Legislative Party leader Pramod Tiwari, Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal and senior party leader RPN Singh and local leaders spent the entire day at the Phoolbagh Ground today.
POLITICAL STALWARTS of the State Congress have made a beeline to the city for the Tuesday rally to be addressed by party president Sonia Gandhi. Hectic parleys were under way at the historic Phoolbagh Ground, the venue of the rally.
State Congress president Salman Khurshid, Congress Legislative Party leader Pramod Tiwari, Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal and senior party leader RPN Singh and local leaders spent the entire day at the Phoolbagh Ground today. They were busy issuing last minute directives for the rally.
Jaiswal, along with Khurshid and Tiwari, inspected the ground and issued specific instructions about seating arrangements for men and women. After the official clearance from the SPG, the dais from where Sonia Gandhi would address the rally was given final touches by the rally organisers.
Another podium, much bigger in size than the one built for Sonia Gandhi, has been built to accommodate senior State and local leaders. More than 10,000 chairs will be spread over the ground for party workers.
According to party sources, senior Congress leaders, including Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit, Mohsina Kidwai, Ashok Ghelot, Digvijay Singh and party MP Jitin Prasad, are expected to attend the rally.
A large delegation of Youth Congress workers led by the state general secretary Hari Shanker Tiwari would also arrive from the State capital to take part in the rally.
Almost the entire city wore a festive look with all major crossings decked up with life-size cut outs of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The party tri-colour crisscrossed the city streets. On the route to the rally venue, the District Congress Committee and party leaders have put up huge welcome gates and hoarding for Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
Roads from the Cantonment crossing to the Phoolbagh Ground, Meston road and VIP road have also been decorated with buntings, cut outs and hoardings.
Besides, the Lucknow District Congress Committee of the party also did their bit to paint the city in the Congress colour.
Meanwhile, over a thousand Congress Sewa Dal workers conducted a rehearsal of the guard of honour to be given to the Congress president.