AHMEDABAD: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi landed in Gujarat on Friday for a high-stakes two-day visit, aiming to energize the Congress ranks.
Rahul, who arrives fresh from a fiery Lok Sabha debate where he declared with conviction that Congress will reclaim Gujarat in the next assembly elections, will be camping in Ahmedabad on March 7 and 8.
With over two and a half years left for the 2027 polls, Gandhi’s visit signals an early battle cry, setting the tone for a long and aggressive campaign.
On his first day in Gujarat, Rahul Gandhi engaged with nearly 500 Congress leaders in back-to-back meetings, setting the tone for the party’s 2027 poll strategy.
The day kicked off with three crucial sessions from morning to afternoon, where the AICC finalized and submitted a roadmap for Gujarat Congress ahead of the April 8-9 session. A core decision—ensuring strict responsibility and accountability for every leader—took center stage.
The first meeting brought together the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and the former State Congress President, sparking an exchange of key political insights. This was followed by the high-stakes Political Affairs Committee meeting, attended by Congress Committee In-charge Mukul Wasnik, State President Shaktisinh Gohil, Opposition Leader Amit Chavda, and AICC Organization Secretary KC Venugopal, where candid discussions shaped the party’s next moves.
Rahul Gandhi didn’t hold himself back in his closed-door meeting with Gujarat Congress leaders, sources reveal. In a deep dive into the party’s repeated electoral failures, he pressed hard with pointed questions.
“Why are upper castes distancing themselves from Congress?” he asked bluntly, challenging leaders to confront the shifting political landscape. “How is Gujarat Congress addressing the real issues of the people?” he further questioned, signaling a demand for sharper engagement and a concrete strategy.
With Congress struggling to reclaim its lost ground in Gujarat, Gandhi’s tough interrogation made one thing clear—mere rhetoric won’t cut it. The party needs answers, and it needs them fast.
The final session saw Gandhi interacting with the heads of 18 Congress cells, including the Kisan Cell and Doctor Cell, focusing on actionable programs and ways to deliver justice to Gujarat’s citizens. With three back-to-back strategy meetings wrapped up, Gandhi’s Gujarat outreach has set a decisive momentum for the Congress campaign.
“Rahul Gandhi has arrived in Gujarat for two days of intense interaction with party workers,” said Seva Dal National Coordinator Lalji Desai, setting the stage for a Congress resurgence.
“He will sit with leaders from the grassroots up, dissect what went wrong, and map out the road ahead. In the Lok Sabha, he declared—‘We will defeat you in Gujarat.’ Now, every Congress worker is gearing up to make that a reality,” Desai asserted.
“A unified battle plan is in the works. Congress will hit the streets with a Pad Yatra, directly engaging with the people and cornering the government.
Elections in Gujarat are not being fought democratically; they are being controlled by IAS-IPS officers. But we will fight together, head-on,” he added.
Slamming the BJP’s internal strife, Desai took a sharp dig: “There is no factionalism in Gujarat Congress, but the BJP is drowning in it. Anandiben Patel’s camp, Amit Shah’s faction, and now C.R. Patil’s growing power struggle—BJP is battling itself.”
