MP polls: Congress to step up campaign; Kharge, Rahul, Priyanka among leaders to address rallies in state

Setting the target of winning 150-plus seats in Madhya Pradesh, where elections to the 230-member assembly will be held this month, the Congress has planned several rallies of its senior leaders, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, in the coming days till the poll campaign ends. Kharge is scheduled to address two rallies in Jabalpur district on Saturday, a senior Congress leader said.

After him, two other senior leaders of the Congress – its former president Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – will keep visiting the state to canvas for the party candidates till campaigning ends on November 15.

Talking to reporters here, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that Kharge will address a total of 22 rallies in the state. While Priyanka Gandhi is scheduled to address six election meetings, Rahul Gandhi will take out more than six ‘padayatras’ (foot marches) and address rallies to drum up support for the party. ”Kharge will kickstart his last leg of campaigning in MP on November 4 by addressing rallies at Katangi and Shahpura in Jabalpur district,” she said. ”Our target is to win 150-plus seats,” the Congress office-bearer, who is also its social media cell chief, said.

Congress general secretary in-charge for Madhya Pradesh Randeep Surjewala will address 30 rallies, she added. Former MP chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh will speak at 70 and 60 rallies respectively, Shrinate said. Besides them, other leaders like former Union minister Arun Yadav and Suresh Pachouri will also address rallies across the length and breadth of the state. ”People of MP are fed up with the ‘jungle raj’ CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and ready to vote for the Congress with an overwhelming mandate as it believes in the party and its promises,” she said.

Shrinate said that through their election rallies, foot marches and public contact programmes, the party leaders will expose the 18 years of the ”misrule and failure” of the BJP. Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh will be held on November 17, while the counting of votes will take place on December 3.