Priyanka Gandhi likely to address Ahmedabad rally on Mar 12 after CWC meet

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) will meet in Ahmedabad on March 12 ahead of the rally on the same day, which is likely be addressed by Priyanka Gandhi besides her brother and party president Rahul Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi.

This will be the first poll rally that Priyanka Gandhi is likely to address, more than a month after she stepped in active politics as the Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

According to sources, the Congress leaders will offer prayer in Gandhi Ashram after which the party's highest decision-making body will meet in which Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are likely to be present. The rally would be held after the CWC meet.

Priyanka's Rally ahead of the Lok Sabha polls is being perceived by Congress leaders as a major morale booster to the party in the state where it has been out of power for almost three decades.Gujarat is considered a stronghold of BJP and is also the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Last week the Congress party had postponed its working committee meeting and Sankalp rally scheduled for February 28 in the backdrop of escalating tension between India and Pakistan on the border.

India lost over 40 CRPF personnel in the ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14. After the attack, India launched a pre-emptive, anti-terror strike against a major JeM terror camp in Pakistan's Balakot, where many top JeM commanders and terrorists were reportedly killed.

Following which Pakistan has continuously violated the ceasefire along the LoC and had also transgressed into Indian airspace.

On February 27, Indian Air Force (IAF) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, flying the MiG-21 Bison, chased Pakistani F-16 fighters and in the process, his plane crossed over to the Pakistani side and he was captured by the Pakistan Army after his plane was shot down.

The IAF pilot was sent back to India via Attari-Wagah border on March 1.