Rahul to launch Cong campaign for Gujarat polls on September 5

Ahmedabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will launch his party's campaign for the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections during his visit to the BJP-ruled state on September 5, it was announced on Wednesday.

Making the announcement here, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said the Opposition party has started the process of candidate selection and will release its first list of nominees for the year-end polls before September 15.

"The Assembly poll campaign will be launched by Gandhi on September 5. He will come here (Ahmedabad) and have a massive launching programme on election preparations," the Rajya Sabha member said. Venugopal said the Congress on Wednesday launched a 90-day election programme in Gujarat, where the party is out of power for nearly three decades. Gandhi will visit poll-bound Gujarat two days ahead of the launch of the party's "Bharat Jodo Yatra" on September 7 under his leadership.

The mass outreach programme will see Congress leaders and workers covering 12 states and two Union Territories. The padayatra (foot march) will be about 3,500-km long and will be completed in about 150 days.

"Gandhi's September 5 visit will be for the Gujarat poll campaign launch. During his visit, he will also seek the blessings of the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel before the launch of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'," Venugopal said. Venugopal was here to take part in a meeting on Congress's poll preparations with state leaders in the presence of senior election observer Ashok Gehlot and Gujarat in-charge and Rajasthan MLA Raghu Sharma.