In the upcoming Madhya Pradesh elections, the Congress party has strategically allocated responsibilities to its leaders.
Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress General Secretary, will spearhead the party's campaign in urban areas, while Rahul Gandhi will focus on tribal regions. Congress Party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will concentrate on wooing Dalit voters, according to a senior party official.
Rahul Gandhi is set to hold his first-ever poll rally in Shahdol in August, although the exact date is yet to be finalized. Both Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge are scheduled to visit the state next month in preparation for the polls.
Earlier in June, Priyanka Gandhi kick-started the party's campaign during her visit to Jabalpur. She is scheduled to address a significant poll rally in Gwalior on July 21, a city considered the stronghold of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose defection caused the fall of the Congress state government in 2020.
Notably, this rally will mark the first time a member of the Gandhi family addresses a gathering at Mela Ground in Gwalior since the political upheaval.
The upcoming Assembly elections in November-December are crucial for the Congress, given the impact of Scindia's rebellion, which led to the defection of 22 MLAs, including ministers, and the resignation of Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Priyanka Gandhi's rally is expected to invigorate the party cadres in 30 Assembly segments across seven districts.
The Congress has an elaborate plan for Priyanka Gandhi's rally in Gwalior, prepared by former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and Congress' state in-charge J. P. Aggarwal. Sources indicate that the party is considering promising monetary incentives to unemployed youth in Madhya Pradesh, a proposal likely to be announced during Priyanka's rally in Gwalior.
During her previous rally in Jabalpur, Priyanka Gandhi had announced five poll promises, including the reintroduction of the old pension scheme, farm loan waivers, 100 units of free electricity, 200 units at half the tariff, and a Rs 1,500 pension for women, along with LPG cylinders priced at Rs 500.
(With inputs from IANS)
