Rahul Gandhi to launch poll campaign in Mumbai next week

Rahul Gandhi will be in the city on February 28 and March 1

With an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and in a bid to tackle the internal strife in the local Congress unit, Congress president Rahul Gandhi has planned a two-day visit to Mumbai next week. Gandhi will be here on February 28 and March 1 to address a public rally, hold meetings with senior party leaders and interact with other stakeholders. Sources in the Congress said that the city unit has convened a meeting on February 19 at Mumbai unit's Azad Maidan office for discussing the party chief's schedule in the city.

Local leaders against Nirupam
Gandhi will travel to Dhule on March 1 for addressing a rally. This event is seen as a counter to PM Narendra Modi's public event held in the state last week. Gandhi's visit assumes importance in the wake of calls for removing Sanjay Nirupam from the Mumbai Congress president's post. A group of disgruntled leaders met the party leadership in New Delhi to raise the demand, but the high command has turned it down. The Congress bosses think that removing Nirupam when the party needs to display a show of strength and unity ahead of the polls will set a wrong precedent. Nirupam's detractors have been told to cooperate with the city president for the time being and that Nirupman would have to leave if the party does not do well in Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress had received another shock earlier this month when its former MP Milind Deora had asked the party to drop him as a candidate from Mumbai South constituency. Deora had highlighted how the party is suffering from groupism and indirectly blamed Nirupam for unilateral functioning. Nirupam has been under attack for seeking a ticket from Mumbai North West instead of Mumbai North. Another prospective candidate, Priya Dutt, had refused to contest from the North Central constituency. A senior Congress leader told mid-day that despite Deora and Dutt's reluctance, the party was likely to field them and their names should appear in the first list of candidates. Nirupam's demand for changing the constituency is also being considered, said the leader.

Feb 28
Rahul Gandhi to reach Mumbai

Mar 1
Rahul Gandhi to address rally in Dhule

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