<p>Congress is shifting campaign gears in Madhya Pradesh by planning to hold at least half-a-dozen rallies by August-end to be addressed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.</p>.<p>The first in this series of pre-election rallies would be by party General Secretary Priyanka on July 21 in Gwalior-Chambal region, known to be a stronghold of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who had quit the Congress to join the BJP leading to the fall of Kamal Nath government in 2020.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/rahul-gandhi-running-mega-mall-of-hatred-not-mohabbat-ki-dukan-bjp-leader-nadda-1235604.html" target="_blank">Rahul Gandhi running 'mega mall of hatred', not 'mohabbat ki dukan': BJP leader Nadda</a></strong></p>.<p>If Congress chose Mahakoshal, a region with a large ‘adivasi’ population, for its campaign launch by Priyanka last month, it is now heading to a region where OBCs and Dalits have substantial numbers. The upper caste Thakurs and Rajputs are also influential in this region.</p>.<p>In the 2018 elections, Congress had won 26 out of 34 seats from the region and the party’s confidence has been further boosted by a survey by C-Voter which claimed the party could win 22-26 seats in the elections later this year.</p>.<p>For the Congress, a better performance would mean “revenge” as well as crippling Scindia’s hold in the region ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A few Congress leaders, including Scindia’s close aides like Rakesh Kumar Gupta and Baijnath Singh Yadav, who had left the Congress had returned to the party in recent times.</p>.<p>A section in the BJP are also said to be unhappy with Scindia and are against giving seats to his supporters in the election. Union Minister Narendra Tomar is also from this region and there would be a tough battle within the BJP for seats.</p>.<p>Congress, sources said, are keen to gain from this tussle in the opponent’s camp.</p>.<p>The Congress campaign was launched on June 12 by Priyanka along the banks of Narmada and a rally where she tore into the BJP government, alleging that the state is witnessing a '<em>ghotala raj</em>' (rule by scams) led by a '<em>ghoshana veer</em>' (one who makes lot of announcements).</p>.<p>Giving a peek into Congress strategy, Priyanka had alleged that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a “<em>ghoshana veer</em>” who made 22,000 announcements in 18 years of his rule.</p>
<p>Congress is shifting campaign gears in Madhya Pradesh by planning to hold at least half-a-dozen rallies by August-end to be addressed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.</p>.<p>The first in this series of pre-election rallies would be by party General Secretary Priyanka on July 21 in Gwalior-Chambal region, known to be a stronghold of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who had quit the Congress to join the BJP leading to the fall of Kamal Nath government in 2020.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/rahul-gandhi-running-mega-mall-of-hatred-not-mohabbat-ki-dukan-bjp-leader-nadda-1235604.html" target="_blank">Rahul Gandhi running 'mega mall of hatred', not 'mohabbat ki dukan': BJP leader Nadda</a></strong></p>.<p>If Congress chose Mahakoshal, a region with a large ‘adivasi’ population, for its campaign launch by Priyanka last month, it is now heading to a region where OBCs and Dalits have substantial numbers. The upper caste Thakurs and Rajputs are also influential in this region.</p>.<p>In the 2018 elections, Congress had won 26 out of 34 seats from the region and the party’s confidence has been further boosted by a survey by C-Voter which claimed the party could win 22-26 seats in the elections later this year.</p>.<p>For the Congress, a better performance would mean “revenge” as well as crippling Scindia’s hold in the region ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A few Congress leaders, including Scindia’s close aides like Rakesh Kumar Gupta and Baijnath Singh Yadav, who had left the Congress had returned to the party in recent times.</p>.<p>A section in the BJP are also said to be unhappy with Scindia and are against giving seats to his supporters in the election. Union Minister Narendra Tomar is also from this region and there would be a tough battle within the BJP for seats.</p>.<p>Congress, sources said, are keen to gain from this tussle in the opponent’s camp.</p>.<p>The Congress campaign was launched on June 12 by Priyanka along the banks of Narmada and a rally where she tore into the BJP government, alleging that the state is witnessing a '<em>ghotala raj</em>' (rule by scams) led by a '<em>ghoshana veer</em>' (one who makes lot of announcements).</p>.<p>Giving a peek into Congress strategy, Priyanka had alleged that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a “<em>ghoshana veer</em>” who made 22,000 announcements in 18 years of his rule.</p>