"Will congratulate real warriors of local body elections": KC Venugopal on Rahul Gandhi's Kochi visit today

New Delhi [India], January 19 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Mahapanchayat on Monday in Kochi, where he will congratulate the "real warriors of the local body elections," according to AICC general Secretary KC Venugopal.
Gandhi will address Congress representatives who contested the recent local body election, said the Lok Sabha MP.
"The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee is holding a Mahapanchayat in Kochi today. All those who contested the elections on a Congress ticket, from the ward level to the corporation mayor level, are coming. Everyone is coming," Venugopal told ANI. "The Kerala local body elections were a big boost for the Congress party and the UDF. We will congratulate the real warriors of the local body elections," he added.
The mahapanchayat will be attended by Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, AICC general secretary Venugopal and other party leaders
After his arrival in Kochi, Gandhi, will first will first visit the residence of Malayalam writer, literary critic M Leelavathy in Kalamassery and presesnt the Priyadarshini Literary Award by the KPCC to her. He will then proceed to Marine Drive where he will kickstart the Mahapanchayat according to a statement by the Indian National Congress.
According to Congress leader Shafi Parambil, the Mahapanchayat "serves as the unofficial launch of the Congress party's election process for the upcoming Legislative Assembly polls."
Congress leader K Muraleedharan said, "Today is the Mahapanchayat. The participants are the persons who contested the last local body elections. More than 10,000 people will be joining this conference. At the same time, this is the inauguration of our assembly preparations, also. He will also give directions for our party for the coming assembly election..."
He further said, "... CPM is the B team of BJP... The People know they have to defeat the unholy alliance of CPM and BJP."
Meanwhile KC Venugopal said that the party has intensified its nationwide outreach to MNREGA workers amid growing anger against the Centre, with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge issuing a joint letter to strengthen the movement. Venugoppal said the initiative is being coordinated under the MNREGA Bachao Abhiyan to mobilise workers, while also confirming Rahul Gandhi's participation in the Mahapanchayat in Kochi today.
Speaking to ANI, Venugoppal said a review meeting was held with PCC presidents, general secretaries in charge, and the MNREGA Bachao Abhiyan Coordination Committee. "In fact, there is a lot of anger against the government visible across India. We are reaching out to MNREGA workers. All our party workers have been asked to reach out to MNREGA workers," he said. He added that the letter sent by Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to PCCs will be translated into regional languages and distributed among workers, party leaders, and influencers to widen the campaign.
Meanwhile, Vatakara MP Shafi Parambil said the 2025 Kerala local body election results reflected a clear public rejection of the ruling Left Democratic Front government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Parambil claimed that the Chief Minister himself had initially asked for the election to be seen as a "referendum" or evaluation of the government's performance, and the results have now delivered a negative verdict against them. He described the UDF's performance as historic, claiming traditional "Left bastions" were dismantled across the state.
Parambil further told ANI that the electorate has proven that the "power of the people is stronger than those in authority".
Parambil credited the surge to collective leadership within the United Democratic Front, along with the support of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). (ANI)