New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday said it was planning a grand show to mark the conclusion of the Telangana poll campaign by organising a rally of former party chief Sonia Gandhi on November 28. The campaigning will end on November 28 and polling for the 119-member Telangana Assembly will take place on November 30. The results will be out on December 3.
“We have invited her. It will be very good if Sonia Gandhi comes here. She had launched the six guarantees, which are attracting the voters. Our campaign has been strong and it will end with a big show,” AICC general secretary in-charge of Telangana Manikrao Thakre told ETV Bharat. Till then, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who have been campaigning across the state over the past weeks, will address several rallies and conduct roadshows to swing popular sentiment in favour of the Congress, said party insiders.
“Priyanka Gandhi is already in the state and she is being liked by the voters, especially women, as the granddaughter of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi fondly known as ‘Indiraamma’," said Thakre. According to party managers, Sonia Gandhi, popularly known as “Soniaamma” among the people, continues to be a big draw in the southern state.
That was the reason she was invited to launch the poll campaign and announce the six poll guarantees on September 17 at a mega rally held at Tukkuguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Besides Sonia, the entire top brass of the Congress, including Kharge, Rahul, Priyanka and all the Congress Working Committee members were present at the rally. A day before, the first meeting of the reconstituted CWC was held in Hyderabad on September 16.
Since then, the Congress has been reminding the voters that it was Sonia, who was behind the UPA government’s move to carve out Telangana in 2013 as per the wish of the people. The Congress has been out of power since the formation of the state and is banking on the two-term anti-incumbency of the KCR government to stage a comeback.
“We are giving a tough fight to the BRS. We will win over 70 seats and form a government,” Telangana Campaign Committee chief Madhu Yaskhi told ETV Bharat. According to Madhu Yaskhi, who is contesting the polls from the LB Nagar Assembly seat, the Congress campaign was based on two aspects, a corrupt ruling party and the grand old party’s poll guarantees.
“The people are fed up with the BRS government, which looted the state over the past 10 years. The people are also going to defeat the hidden alliance between the BJP and the BRS. The poll guarantees announced by Sonia Gandhi are attracting the voters big time,” he said. The state campaign chief further said that unemployment was a big issue among the young voters and the Congress had announced a job calendar for them if it was voted to power. “The calendar spells out our plans to conduct recruitment for vacant government positions in a phased manner,” he said.
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