Congress to launch 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign from Nagpur on Dec 28

Finalising second leg of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra

The Congress will launch its 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign on its 139th foundation day on December 28 with a public rally in Maharashtra’s Nagpur.

As part of its election preparations, the Congress is in the midst of finalising the second leg of party leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which could begin from a northeastern state in January.

Congress sources said the choice of Nagpur to hold the rally was significant since the city is also home to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters, and the public meeting would underscore the contours of the electoral and ideological battle between the Congress-led INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc of parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Sangh Parivar.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, his predecessors Sonia and Rahul Gandhi will address the public meeting, with party leaders asserting that a million Congress workers from Maharashtra and across the country will attend it. The senior leadership of the Maharashtra unit of the Congress met in Mumbai on Friday to plan for the public meeting.

Congress General Secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, senior leader Mukul Wasnik, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, former state minister Balasaheb Thorat, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar, and former chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithrviraj Chavan attended the meeting.

Venugopal said: “On the occasion of Congress’ foundation day on December 28, the party president and its former chiefs will address a huge rally in Nagpur.”

With 48 Lok Sabha seats, Maharashtra is key to the Congress and its allies, such as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, for the Lok Sabha polls, where the alliance, including the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party, hope to improve its seats tally. In 2019, the BJP and undivided Shiv Sena had won 41 of the 48 seats.

Congress sources said Rahul Gandhi could embark on the second leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in January, nearly a year after he concluded the 135-day Kanayakumari to Kashmir walkathon on January 30.

Unlike the previous yatra, where the Congress leader walked most of the 3500 kms on foot, the second leg would be a hybrid one, where he would be travelling by motor vehicles between towns and cities, stopping to interact with people and walking shorter stretches.