New Delhi: The Congress intends to “win” the Gujarat elections with its “so-called low-key campaigning.”
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, one of the party strategists for Gujarat Assembly elections, has claimed that the party “is running a low-key campaign” in the state.
Congress top guns including the Gandhis are expected to lead the party campaign in the state. It may be mentioned that despite giving BJP a run for its money during the last Assembly elections in Gujarat, Congress with 77 seats had failed to keep up the momentum.
The contest in Gujarat has traditionally been between the Congress and the BJP, but AAP is consolidating its position by reaching out to the people unlike the Congress.
Amid the Bharat Jodo Yatra-led by Rahul Gandhi and the recent party presidential elections, the Central leadership of the party has not devoted much time to campaigning in Gujarat.
Young leaders played a key role for the Congress in 2017. However, in 2022, the Congress is seen losing its ground as several of these leaders have left the party.
Patidar leader and former vice president of the Congress state unit Hardik Patel resigned from the party and has joined the BJP.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the Congress also got support from activist Alpesh Thakor, who joined the party in October 2017. He won from Radhanpur constituency in 2017. However, he left the Congress in April 2019 and joined the BJP.
The Congress had started five new yatras in the state to highlight the failures of the current government, but the yatras are mostly being attended by local level leaders. Unlike the last time, the will to win and the buzz at the state Congress headquarters is missing.
The AICC incharge of the state Raghu Sharma is the political lightweight in comparison to the BJP’s artillery present in the state.
For the previous elections, Gehlot was the general secretary incharge and senior leader late Ahmed Patel was overseeing the poll preparations.
Rahul Gandhi has held several yatras and rallies. He was on a temple run in the state. To attack the ‘faulty implementation of GST’ the Congress had roped in former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to address the industry in Surat.
