Rahul Gandhi to address public rally in Malda on March 23

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is set to address a public rally in Malda district of West Bengal on March 23, as part of the party's Lok Sabha election campaign in the state.

According to a senior state Congress leader, the rally is aimed at boosting the morale of party workers.

"Malda has been our stronghold, and we hope Rahulji's presence in the district on March 23 will encourage party workers to carry out the election work with zeal," he said.

The Congress leader also said the party wanted to send out a strong message to Malda (North) MP Mausam Benazir Noor, who recently defected to the Trinamool Congress.

The district has been a Congress bastion for several decades. In the last few years, however, the party lost much of its ground to the Trinamool Congress (TMC), following several defections.

Noor, the niece of one of the tallest leaders of the Congress, ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury, joined the TMC in January, contending that it was the only party that can rise against the BJP in West Bengal.

The Congress had won four seats in the last Lok Sabha elections -- Malda (north), Malda (south), Baharampur and Jangipur.