Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address his first campaign rally in Maharashtra for the Lok Sabha elections in Dhule on March 1. Although it is expected to be a Congress rally, the first joint campaign rally of Congress and Nationalist Congress Party will be held at Nanded on February 20.
After the state Congress requested for a public rally before the election code of conduct sets in, Rahul Gandhi has confirmed the Dhule rally. The state unit has also demanded at least three more rallies and a few rallies by party’s newly appointed general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. One of the rallies by Rahul Gandhi during electioneering is expected to be in Mumbai.
“We are in the process of finalising the Dhule rally programme,” said Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan. The state unit has convened a meeting on February 21 at Dhule for planning and finalising the venue. “It will be held in Dhule city to ensure that party workers from three adjoining districts in North Maharashtra could easily make it to the rally,” the office-bearer said.
The joint rally by the Congress and NCP will be held on February 20 at Indira Gandhi Maidan in Nanded. The NCP chief Sharad Pawar, state Congress chief Ashok Chavan, state leaders from both parties and leaders from smaller allies including People’s Republican Party chief Jogendra Kawade will attend the rally. Another joint rally will be held on February 23 in Beed. The Congress and NCP are eyeing more seats from Marathwada in the Lok Sabha elections.
{{/usCountry}}The joint rally by the Congress and NCP will be held on February 20 at Indira Gandhi Maidan in Nanded. The NCP chief Sharad Pawar, state Congress chief Ashok Chavan, state leaders from both parties and leaders from smaller allies including People’s Republican Party chief Jogendra Kawade will attend the rally. Another joint rally will be held on February 23 in Beed. The Congress and NCP are eyeing more seats from Marathwada in the Lok Sabha elections.
{{/usCountry}}Other smaller allies, however, are unlikely to share the dais during joint rallies. “We have been in talks with Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Paksha, Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh, Hitendra Thakur’s Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and other smaller factions of the Republican Party of India. The picture will soon be clearer in the next few days,” said another Congress leader.