After skipping Himachal Pradesh election campaigns, Rahul Gandhi to campaign in Gujarat

Rahul Gandhi will hit the Assembly election campaign trail for the Congress in Gujarat on November 22, after skipping the party’s campaign in Himachal earlier this month.

In a first for the top Congress leader after the Kanyakumari to Kashmir Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7, Rahul will travel to Saurashtra where the party is on a stronger wicket. He will address two ‘jan sabhas’ during his first visit.

Sources said Rahul will visit the state once again before the second phase of polls and similarly hold at least two more rallies. Rahul had skipped the Himachal campaign, with senior leaders defending the decision, asking whether he is the only person to fight elections.

Also Read — BJP shaken by Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra: Ashok Gehlot

While they pointed to collective leadership, sources said, Rahul’s absence in Gujarat, which being Congress’ principal opponent Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, would send a “wrong political message”.

Upping the ante, Congress on Monday also announced the appointment of five Zonal Observers – Mukul Wasnik (South Zone), Mohan Prakash (Saurashtra), Prithviraj Chavan (Central), BK Hariprasad (North) and KH Muniyappa. All these Observers will report to Central Observer Ashok Gehlot, who is also Rajasthan Chief Minister.

The Congress has also appointed 32 Observers in 26 Lok Sabha Constituencies besides five other general observers.

Sources said Rahul attending the Gujarat campaign was mentioned at a meeting to review the Bharat Jodo Yatra held here in which members of the 2024 Task Force for Lok Sabha elections also participated.

The leaders reviewed the “gains” of the yatra so far and took stock of the preparations for the entry of the yatra into north India later this month.

The presence of the Task Force members, including General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh, at the review meeting of the Bharat Jodo Yatra assumes significance, as the party is starting its preparations about the 2024 polls.

"We were having a review meeting of Bharat Jodo Yatra because half of the yatra is completed. Now, we are entering the heart of north India," Venugopal told reporters. He said the leaders did not discuss any specific change in routes but were open to "small corrections" in routes if the state units felt so.

Asked whether the meeting discussed a proposal to start a second yatra from western states to eastern states, a senior leader said no such discussion took place and the committee on yatra or the Task Force cannot take a decision on it. The Congress Steering Committee has to take that call, the leader said.