Congress scions Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are likely to lead the Congress campaign in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. As per Jitin Prasada, Congress in-charge in West Bengal, the duo is likely to start the campaign in the TMC ruled state next month. Prasada told that Congress will be fighting the State Assembly elections along with the CPI(M)-led Left front.
Several meetings have been held by Prasada and state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury with the state leadership to take stock of the party organisation in the state. Prasada said that his party is conducting joint programmes with the Left front in the state. “We are conducting joint programmes with the Left Front in the State. We, along with the Left, will put up a strong fight against the TMC and the BJP in the next Assembly polls”, said Prasada.
BJP is sending central leaders because they don’t have strong leaders in the state: Congress
When questioned about why the AICC central leadership did not visit the state unlike the BJP, Jitin Prasada said that there is a difference in the functioning of two parties. He said that unlike the BJP his party had a long association with the state at the grassroots with local leadership. He said that the BJP does not have a face in the State therefore their central leadership has been frequenting the state, Congress’ state leadership was quite strong. “But in Congress, we believe in strong State leaders. In Bengal, we have strong leadership so we never felt to bring in central leaders here”, he said. “But as elections are approaching, from January onwards, senior AICC leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are likely to campaign in the State regularly.”, he added.
It is noteworthy that after Congress’ miserable performance in Bihar Assembly elections, 23 senior Congress leaders had written a letter to Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi pointing out that at the peak of the campaign during the Bihar elections and even on the result day, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were holidaying in Shimla instead of being with the party.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and JP Nadda to visit Bengal every month till elections
State BJP President Dilip Ghosh had announced last month that Union Ministers Amit Shah and JP Nadda would be visiting the state every month till the Assembly elections. Shah is likely to arrive in the state on December 19. This will be his second visit to the state since November this year. Recently, the convoy of BJP chief JP Nadda and party’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya headed towards Diamond Harbour was attacked in West Bengal. Some protesters gathered on the streets and attempted to block the road to stop their convoy from passing and had also pelted stones at vehicles. BJP had started its Bengal campaign immediately after the Bihar elections.
