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Rahul Gandhi to be star campaigner for Congress in Assembly polls

Rahul is expected to address more meetings than party chief Sonia Gandhi.

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi would be the party’s “star campaigner” in the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, going to the polls in the next couple of months. He is expected to address more meetings than party chief Sonia Gandhi.

While the real players in the electoral battle would be regional leaders like chief ministers Tarun Gogoi and Oommen Chandy, besides Mr A.K. Antony, Mr Vayalar Ravi, Mr V.M. Sudheeran, Mr Ramesh Chennithala, Mr Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Mr Somen Mitra, and Ms Deepa Das Munshi, it will be interesting to see whether former Union minister P. Chidambaram leads the party’s campaign in Tamil Nadu against the ruling AIADMK.

The Congress is fighting the polls in direct and indirect alliances with “like-minded parties” in almost all the four states and one Union Territory.

It is unclear whether the Congress leadership will address meetings jointly with its senior ally, the DMK, in Tamil Nadu.

Although the polls will be fought on local issues, the debate initiated by the BJP on “nationalists versus anti-nationals” could polarise voters in Assam and Kerala, sources said.

Meanwhile, Mrs Gandhi on Monday constituted the election committee, campaign committee, manifesto committee and publicity committee for the electoral battle to be fought against regional players and the BJP.

While the 18-member Assam Pradesh election committee is headed by PCC chief Anjan Dutta, the 18-member West Bengal Congress election committee is headed by PCC president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and the 90-member campaign committee will be led by MP Pradeep Bhattacharya. The eight-member West Bengal Congress manifesto committee is headed by Mr Somen Mitra and the eight-member publicity committee of the state Congress by Mr A.H. Khan Choudhary.

While the Congress is going virtually alone in Assam, it is fighting the Kerala and Tamil Nadu polls under fronts. In West Bengal, it will have an understanding with the Left against the Trinamool Congress.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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