Sonia to address rallies in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh

Congress President Sonia Gandhi will on Friday address rallies in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, where the party is hoping to come to power.

According to reports, Gandhi will be addressing rallies at Khargone and Rewa.

Gandhi is scheduled to address three rallies in the BJP-ruled state before it goes to polls on November 25. She will address a rally at Meghnagar in Jhabua District on November 21.

The assembly polls for five states-Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and New Delhi-are being held from November 11 to December 4, and are being seen as a warm-up for next year's general elections.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to unseat the ruling Congress party, which has been weakened by a string of corruption scandals, high inflation and stuttering growth after nine years in power.

Earlier, addressing a rally in state's Khandwa District, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh criticised the Congress party for the unprecedented growth in the level of poverty and unemployment.

Singh said: "The ruling Congress government and the family within the Congress party, which has remained in power for long, is the main reason behind the rising poverty and unemployment, and there is no other reason."

"When you are aware of the fact that poverty and unemployment is due to Congress then why not make India a Congress-free nation so that it becomes a great nation," he added.