Sonia is likely to be away from electioneering, Rahul will be star campaigner

Sakshi Chaturvedi
Published on: 20 Jan 2017 7:12 AM GMT
Sonia is likely to be away from electioneering, Rahul will be star campaigner
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Sonia is likely to be away from electioneering, Rahul will be star campaigner

New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will take charge as the star campaigner of the party in coming state assembly polls in the absence of party President Sonia Gandhi, who has decided to keep away from hectic electioneering owing to her health conditions.

It would be the first time since last many elections when Sonia would not be the star campaigner for the Congress and not address the election rallies in the five states which are going to polls in February- March next, the party sources said. Rahul will take reigns of the campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand.

The Congress treasurer Moti Lal Vora, in his letter to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab, had sent a letter on January 17 last in which he had mentioned the name of Sonia Gandhi as star campaigner but it was a routine exercise as she still remains Party President, sources pointed out.

Moreover, the sources claimed that Sonia also desired to be generally away from the active politics and pass on the baton to some other leader, her son Rahul in this case. Her absence from January 11 'Vedna Rally' in the national capital was also indicative of this and the party seniors have also been told to look up to Rahul for policy matters.

UP Congress workers disappointed

According to sources, the Congressmen of Uttar Pradesh are a worried lot because after a long gap, the party is going to contest assembly elections in a positive frame of mind following alliance with the ruling Samajwadi Party. The leaders from UP have conveyed to the party high command to at least manage her symbolic presence in the state as she happens to be the MP from here.

Sakshi Chaturvedi

Sakshi Chaturvedi

A journalist, presently working as a Sub-Editor at newstrack.com.

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