Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary, is scheduled to address a public meeting in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, on June 12, ahead of the Assembly polls in the state, according to a party leader.
Chandraprabhash Shekhar, the vice-president of the MP Congress Committee (MPCC), informed reporters that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will arrive in Jabalpur at approximately 10:30 am and proceed to Gwari Ghat from the airport to offer prayers to ‘Maa Narmada’ (Mother Narmada). Following this, she will address a gathering at Shaheed Smarak before departing for New Delhi.
“Priyankaji will first do Narmada puja at Gwarighat on the bank of the holy river here, after which she would lead a roadshow and then address a public rally. She will launch the party’s campaign and Sankalp 2023 on June 12 after seeking the blessing of Narmada river,” said Tarun Bhanot, Congress MLA and former MP finance minister on Saturday.
Jagat Bahadur Singh, the Mayor of Jabalpur and a Congress leader, said that the roadshow led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will cover a 2-kilometre stretch in Jabalpur. He further stated that the rally is expected to attract a crowd of 1.5-2 lakh people. Singh expressed confidence that the people of Jabalpur division, which consists of eight districts, are dissatisfied with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and as a result, the Congress party will sweep the Mahakoshal region in the 2023 Assembly polls
The Congress party is actively preparing for the upcoming Assembly polls at the end of the year, aiming to regain power in the state. The party had previously lost its office in March 2020 due to a rebellion by a group of MLAs.
After the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress emerged as the single largest party, but their government led by Kamal Nath collapsed after 15 months due to the rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is now a Union minister, along with more than 20 loyal MLAs.
As a result, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in the state. In the last election, the Congress won 114 seats out of the 230-member Assembly, while the BJP secured 109 seats. However, the BJP’s seat count increased to 127 after bypolls were held in nearly two dozen constituencies following resignations by sitting MLAs, while the Congress’ tally reduced to 93.
The BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, except for the period between December 2018 and March 2020.
(With inputs from PTI and HT)
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Updated: 08 Jun 2023, 03:00 PM IST