Rahul Gandhi to Launch Congress Election Campaign in J&K Today

GG News Bureau
Jammu, 4th Sept. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to kick off the party’s election campaign in Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday, addressing two rallies in the union territory as part of the first phase of the three-phased Assembly elections.

According to Congress sources, Rahul Gandhi’s campaign will begin with a rally in Jammu, followed by another in Kashmir. He will arrive at Jammu airport at 10 a.m. and proceed by helicopter to Sangaldan in Ramban district, where he will address a rally at 11 a.m. in support of Vikar Rasool Wani, the Congress candidate for the Banihal Assembly constituency.

The Banihal seat has been a point of contention between the Congress and its ally, the National Conference (NC), as both parties have fielded candidates there despite a pre-poll alliance.

Following the rally in Sangaldan, Gandhi will travel to the Dooru Assembly constituency in Anantnag district, where he will address another rally at 12:30 p.m. in support of G.A. Mir, the Congress candidate.

These rallies mark the beginning of a broader campaign effort by Congress star campaigners, including Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who will also be campaigning in the region.

Voting for the first phase of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections is scheduled for September 18. The Congress-NC alliance will contest 83 of the 90 seats in the Assembly, with the remaining seats contested by other parties, including CPI(M) and the Panthers Party. In five constituencies—Nagrota, Bhaderwah, Banihal, Doda, and Sopore—both Congress and NC candidates will face off in what has been described as a “friendly contest.”