Telangana polls: Eyes on unseating BRS, Congress plans campaign blitzkrieg

New Delhi: With the electioneering in four-poll bound states ending, the Congress is planning a campaign blitzkrieg in Telangana ahead of the November 30 polling.

The party's top guns, including Sonia Gandhi are all set to launch an offensive believing that they are at a sniffing distance of unseating the ruling BRS.

Top campaigners Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will be campaigning in the upcoming couple of days even as sources said that plans are afoot to get former party chief Sonia attend a ‘jan sabha’ to project her “role” in the formation of the state.

Rahul and Priyanka have participated in most number of campaign rallies in Telangana compared to the four other poll-bound states as on Saturday. Only Rahul went to Mizoram for campaign while Kharge and Sonia issued video appeals to voters. The campaigning for Telangana ends on November 28.

Till Saturday, Rahul has been in Telangana for eight days since October 9 when elections were announced and participated in 11 public meetings and four ‘yatras’ besides a women’s meet and a workers' meeting. He also visited Kalwakurthy bridge after cracks developed on it. On Sunday, he will address three public meetings in the state.

Rahul’s engagement in Telangana was higher than in other states. In Madhya Pradesh, he spent five days in the state since elections were announced. He attending eight public meetings and two roadshows followed by corner meetings. Priyanka attended 12 rallies and a road show over seven days while Kharge had six in three days.

Chhattisgarh saw Rahul attending ten rallies over five days while Priyanka campaigned for three days addressing five rallies and Kharge attended six rallies in three days.

In Rajasthan, where Congress central leadership faced allegations that it was avoiding campaigning, Rahul addressed 11 rallies in four days after November 15 while Priyanka wooed voters in seven rallies over three days. Over five days, Kharge attended eight rallies.

Assessing that it stands a chance of springing a surprise win in the state, Congress leadership had earlier reached out to a number of rebels who were upset with the party over candidate selection. It also roped in experienced leaders, especially from Karnataka and Kerala, to monitor and micro-manage campaigns.

It also sent a strong signal by fielding Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy against Chief Minister Rao in Kamareddy seat.

Ahead of the elections, the Congress held the first meeting of its newly constituted Congress Working Committee followed by a huge rally where Sonia announced ‘guarantees’ for voters.