Rahul Gandhi to launch Cong's J&K poll campaign with 2 rallies on Wednesday

Jammu: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will address two public rallies in Ramban and Anantnag districts on Wednesday, kickstarting the Congress' campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls being held after a gap of 10 years.

These rallies are part of the campaign for the party's candidates contesting in the first phase of the elections on September 18.

Besides Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are among the 40 star campaigners of the party in the upcoming three-phased Assembly polls.

Polling to elect 90 members of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, 25, and October 1.

"Rahul ji will kickstart the party's campaign from tomorrow. He will address two public rallies in Ramban and Anantnag districts in support of Congress candidates on Wednesday," Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hamid Karra told PTI.

The Congress and the National Conference have entered into a pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, being held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019.

Karra said Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Jammu from Delhi on Wednesday and then fly to the Gool area of Ramban district to address a rally in the afternoon.

He will campaign for former Jammu and Kashmir unit chief of the party Vikar Rasool Wani, who is contesting from the Banihal assembly constituency. Polling for the seat will be held in the first phase on September 18.

Gandhi will then fly to the Dooru area of Anantnag district, where he will address another rally in support of Congress General Secretary and former minister Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who is contesting the Dooru assembly segment.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha will return to Delhi in the evening from Srinagar, he said.

Karra exuded confidence that Gandhi's campaign will give a new impetus to the party's public outreach during the elections and improve its poll prospects.

Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Vikar Rasool Wani, and former Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Peerzada Mohammad Syed are contesting in the first phase of the elections.

According to the seat-sharing pact reached by the National Conference (NC) and Congress, the former will contest 51 seats and the latter 32 seats. The two parties will have friendly contests on five seats and they left one seat each for the CPI(M) and the Panthers Party.