Maharashtra polls: Rahul Gandhi to address his first public rally at Dharavi on Sunday

Dharavi is Asia’s largest slum cluster and the Congress has a strong presence in the area, with sitting MLA Varsha Gaikwad from the party.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address his first campaign rally for the Assembly elections at Dharavi in Mumbai on Sunday.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address his first campaign rally for the Assembly elections at Dharavi in Mumbai on Sunday. (Sunil Saxena/HT Photo)

Mumbai Congress chief Eknath Gaikwad said, “We had requested Mr Gandhi to visit the city and state ahead of the elections. He will address a public gathering at Dharavi on Sunday, and in the coming week, he will visit several parts of Maharashtra, to urge citizens to vote for the Congress and its alliance partners.”

Dharavi is Asia’s largest slum cluster and the Congress has a strong presence in the area, with sitting MLA Varsha Gaikwad from the party.

In Mumbai, the Congress currently has five seats, followed by the BJP and Shiv Sena at 15 and 14 seats, respectively. One seat each is with Samajwadi Party and All India Majlis-e-lttehadul Muslimeen.

Gaikwad said, “We have also requested senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to visit Mumbai. Our plan is to have a road show with Priyanka Gandhi between Colaba and Dahisar. We will make plans after getting nod from the leaders.”

The Congress is fighting the elections in alliance with the NCP. The Congress has 146 candidates in the fray, while the NCP has 117, with other seats for smaller parties such as Swabhimani Sangathana, Peasants and Workers Party, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and Samajwadi Party.