With the Gujarat elections round the corner and the first litmus test of Mallikarjun Kharge as Congress president, the grand old party is seeking to boost its poll prospects in the state by addressing about two dozen public meetings.
The Assembly elections in Gujarat are scheduled to be held in two phases on December 1 and December 5, whose results will be declared on December 8, which coincides with the result date of the Himachal Pradesh polls.
The party manifesto, released by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, BJP national president JP Nadda, and state party president CR Paatil, has made at least 40 promises including the complete implementation of the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Committee's recommendations.
Chavda, who resigned from Congress and joined BJP in 2019, is considered to be an influential leader from Ahir community. He was elected to the Assembly on a Congress ticket from the Manavadar seat of Junagadh district in 1990.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday during his public rally in Ahmedabad said that after 2002, Gujarat had been a safe place as not a single day of curfew has been imposed and that Congress, incites communal riots, has no right to talk about peace.
"the lesson you taught in 2002 was that Bilkis' rapists will be freed by you. The lesson you taught was that you will free the murderers of Bilkis' three-year-old daughter. You also taught us that Ahsan Jafri can be killed," said Asaduddin Owaisi.
With Congress also in the fray with a sitting MLA, it is also a triangular contest. Senior Congress leader Vikram Madam, AAP Chief Minister's face Isudan Gadhvi and BJP candidate Mulu Ayar Bera are fighting it out amongst themselves in the assembly elections.
Kharge, after taking charge of the Congress party as President, has started devising strategies on three key points that include strengthening the organization, connecting with party workers, and working on election areas and Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Pabubha Manek, a BJP MLA whom the party has entrusted to retain the Dwarka seat for the third straight time, has never lost an election since 1990. Manek won the first three elections as an independent, then joined the Congress and won the seat. Later, he won the Assembly elections of 2012 a
Taking note of the recent expulsions done by Bhartiya Janata Party, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led party has "changed too".