After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meetings at Ramnagar in Silchar on January 4 and April 11, the Congress is now trying to woo the voters of Silchar through Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Priyanka is scheduled to attend a road show in Silchar on Sunday to campaign for Congress candidate and MP Sushmita Dev, who is also the president of All India Mahila Congress.
This is Priyanka’s maiden visit to the state as a Congress leader.
Priyanka took charge as the party general secretary for eastern Uttar Pradesh in February at the Congress headquarters on a day her husband Robert Vadra appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged possession of illegal foreign assets.
A senior Congress leader in Silchar said they are preparing for the road show, which is expected to start around 10am. They are expecting a huge crowd, provided the weather remains good.
Rahul Gandhi’s public meeting at Panchgram in Hailakandi district on April 9 was delayed by nearly three hours because of heavy rain and thundershowers. Rahul had to travel with Dev by road from Silchar as his chopper couldn’t land because of inclement weather.
The two seats of south Assam’s Barak Valley will go to polls on April 18. Silchar is all set to witness a contest between the Congress and BJP while Karimganj is expecting a triangular contest between the BJP, Congress and the All India United Democratic Front.
The Congress is trying to increase its seats in Assam and is confident about winning in Silchar. Congress now has three seats in the Lok Sabha from Assam. Dev had won the seat in 2014 despite the Modi wave. The BJP is going all out to wrest the seat. Modi himself addressed a rally in the constituency on Thursday.
Senior Congress leader said Priyanka’s roadshow will definitely attract the young voters. She has already gained popularity in Uttar Pradesh after assuming charge where the party won only two seats in 2014 and has 80 members in the lower house of Parliament.
In Assam, of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP has seven MPs while Congress and AIUDF have three seats each and BPF has one seat.
