Rahul Gandhi takes yatra break to campaign in Gujarat, addresses 2 rallies today

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

With just over a week left for the first phase of voting in Gujarat on December 1, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has hit the campaign trail looking to maximise gains in the stronghold of Saurashtra and give the party a fighting chance in South Gujarat.

Gandhi, who stayed away from campaigning in Himachal Pradesh, where voting was held on November 12,  and continued with Bharat Jodo Yatra will on November 21 address a rally at Panch Kakda village of Surat and another at Rajkot’s Shastri Maidan.

“The venues for Rahul Gandhi’s rallies were chosen by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) almost a month ago to have maximum impact on the ground,”  said All India Congress Committee secretary charged with overseeing the campaign in the state BM Sandeep.

The party is banking on these meetings to cover two electorally important regions of Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi where the BJP has been in power for 27 years now.

“A rally in Rajkot will cover our Saurashtra region, where the party has a strong hold. On the other hand, in the southern part, the Congress is emerging as a strong contender,” Sandeep said.

This is Gandhi’s first electoral engagement since the Bharat Jodo Yatra began on September 7. The yatra is on a two-day break and the march will resume in Madhya Pradesh on November 23, he added.

In the 182-member Gujarat assembly, the Saurashtra region accounts for 48 seats. In 2017, the Congress bagged 28 of these, while the BJP could win only 19 against a haul of 30 in 2012.

South Gujarat has 35 assembly seats, of which the Congress could only win 10 in 2017. The BJP, which is seeking a seventh straight term, got 25 seats.

“The two locations chosen for Rahul Gandhi’s rally are centrally located. The public meeting at Rajkot will cover the maximum areas of our Saurashtra region such as Amreli, Porbandar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar and Dwarka. We decided this location to ensure our vote bank remains consolidated,” said Chirag Sheikh, senior Congress leader and PCC general secretary.

Party leaders say the rally in Surat is aimed at garnering support from the business and tribal communities.

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“In 2017, when Rahul Gandhi was leading the campaign in the state, people from the business community in Surat had a lot of concerns over GST (goods and services tax) and state taxes. Their resentment against the government has increased now, we want to reach out to them,” said Sheikh.

Dang and Balsad areas have a large tribal population and the Congress claims the government has not worked for their welfare. “The Congress has planned many policies for the upliftment of tribal communities if voted to power. Rahul Gandhi will convey the party’s vision,” Sheikh said.

In the 2017 election, Gandhi led the party’s campaign and the Congress managed to keep the BJP’s tally at 99 and bagged 77 seats.

“The last-minute interaction of Rahul Gandhi will have a major impact on people’s mind before they go for voting. These rallies will work as a reminder call as many people would not be happy with the present regime,” political analyst Rasheed Kidwai said.

The second phase of voting will be held on December 5 and the counting of votes in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will be done on December 8.