JOIN USPrime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi and politician-turned cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin top the list of Congress’ star campaigners for May 5 Assembly elections.
The State unit of the party had recently submitted a list of 40 star campaigners to the All India Congress Committee for its approval. While the party’s official candidates and local leaders will taken up the campaign soon after filing of the nomination papers, Singh, Sonia and Rahul are scheduled to start their State tour after April 20 – the last day for withdrawal of nomination papers, the party sources said.
All the three top leaders are scheduled to tour the state for three days.
Their itinerary has been prepared in such a way that together they cover all the 30 districts, 10 each. Dates for their tour programme and venues of public meetings will be finalised after security clearance, the sources said.
Of the total 40 star campaigners, 20 will be central leaders and the rest from State. Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Kerala, Union Minister D Purandeshwari, all the four union ministers from the State and former chief minister S M Krishna are among the star campaigners, the sources said.