Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 | Congress to switch gears; Rahul, Priyanka likely to hit campaign trail next week

Rahul is likely to campaign for its New Delhi candidate Sandeep Dikshit, who is pitted against former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while Priyanka is likely to hold a roadshow in Kalkaji in support of Alka Lamba, who is taking on Atishi.

New Delhi: Congress will shift gears of its campaign for the Delhi Assembly Elections from next week with top leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra likely to hit the streets with padayatras and rallies for party candidates.

In what is seen as intensifying its fight against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Rahul is likely to campaign for its New Delhi candidate Sandeep Dikshit, who is pitted against former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, with a padayatra as early as Monday, which starts from Valmiki Temple in the capital city.

Rahul had signalled an all-out war against I.N.D.I.A. ally earlier this week at a rally in Seelampur targeting Kejriwal by equating him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in  “propaganda and making false promises”.

This time, Rahul will be campaigning in Kejriwal’s sitting seat. He has also chosen Valmiki Temple as the possible location to start his padayatra. That is from where Kejriwal had launched his party’s symbol ‘broom’. 

Rahul is also likely to campaign for Mahila Congress president Alka Lamba, who is pitted against AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi in Kalkaji seat.

Sources said Priyanka is likely to hold a roadshow in Kalkaji soon in support of Lamba.

Sources said they are also planning more programmes by the Gandhi siblings as well as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. While former party chief Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to hit the campaign trail, sources said she may issue a video appeal towards the polling date on February 5.

While the AAP is not responding to Congress attacks with Kejriwal saying that Rahul is trying to save his party, the top Congress leader had followed up his attack in Seelampur by visiting Rithala to campaign for party candidate Sushant Mishra last Tuesday and posting a video ridiculing the AAP chief’s promise of making “Delhi like Paris”.

The Congress has already announced five guarantees for the Delhi elections but party managers acknowledge that the task is huge as its vote share has dipped to 4.26 per cent in 2020 polls. 

Congress sources said they have identified around 20 seats where it stands a chance.