Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will kick off the Lok Sabha election campaign for the party in Rajasthan by addressing a rally in Deoli town of Tonk district on Monday. Gujjar and Meena communities, on whom the Congress is pinning its hopes, have a significant presence in the region.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot is looking after the arrangements for the public meeting and has extensively toured the area during the past fortnight. Mr. Pilot faces the challenge of ensuring a huge turnout at the rally after the last month’s protest, led by him, against the BJP-led government remained a lacklustre affair.
The selection of Tonk district for Mr. Gandhi’s first rally before the Lok Sabha polls points to the priority accorded to the region by Congress leaders, as against the tribal-dominated southern Rajasthan region comprising Udaipur and Dungarpur districts, considered the party’s traditional stronghold.
In an attempt to exhibit a united face of the party’s leadership, Mr. Pilot took Union Minister Namo Narain Meena, elected to Lok Sabha from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Rameshwar Dudi with him during his visits.
Congress hopes that Mr. Pilot would win back Gujjars, while Meenas may turn against the BJP as none of their local leaders has been given representation in the newly formed government. Both the Congress and BJP are considering Gujjar and Meena contenders for Tonk-Sawai Madhopur seat, while Dausa is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
After the public meeting in Deoli, Mr. Gandhi will visit Kolayat tehsil in Bikaner district, where he will interact with the mining labourers.
