Ahmedabad:
Congress President Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Gujarat today. She will address two rallies - one near Gorsamba village in Surat district and the second in Keshod town of Junagadh district, party sources said.
Both areas will go to poll in the first phase of Assembly election on December 13.
These rallies come a day after Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Narhari Amin quit the party and joined the BJP. Mr Amin, who enjoys much support in the powerful Patel community and has been a Congressman for 25 years, quit the Congress after the party denied him a ticket to contest the Assembly elections in keeping with its decision not to nominate those who have lost two elections in a row.
This will be the second poll campaign visit of the UPA Chairperson in the BJP-ruled State. Mrs Gandhi had addressed an election rally in Rajkot last month.
Ahead of her rallies, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi dared the Congress president to announce her party's chief ministerial candidate before visiting the poll-bound state.
"It becomes necessary for Sonia to do so after a Gujarat Congress leader (without naming Shankersinh Vaghela dressed in white kurta pyjama) declared today that he (Vaghela) was the captain of the team (Congress)," Mr Modi told a huge public meeting in Makarapura late on Thursday night.
He claimed Sonia has been tense for the last 10 days before her Gujarat trip because she found it difficult to prepare the final draft of her speech fearing that any error could come in for criticism.
Mr Modi also that the Congress spent huge amounts of money on poll advertisements on all television channels well before the announcement of poll dates in the state asking people to "change direction and situation".
The Gujarat Chief Minister further said that this poll would definitely change the direction and position of the Congress, as the people of Gujarat who have great vision will not allow the Congress to win the assembly poll.
Gujarat votes in two phases on December 13 and 17. The results will be declared on December 20. Mr Modi is widely expected to win the state back for the BJP for a third straight term.
(With PTI inputs)
Both areas will go to poll in the first phase of Assembly election on December 13.
These rallies come a day after Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Narhari Amin quit the party and joined the BJP. Mr Amin, who enjoys much support in the powerful Patel community and has been a Congressman for 25 years, quit the Congress after the party denied him a ticket to contest the Assembly elections in keeping with its decision not to nominate those who have lost two elections in a row.
This will be the second poll campaign visit of the UPA Chairperson in the BJP-ruled State. Mrs Gandhi had addressed an election rally in Rajkot last month.
Ahead of her rallies, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi dared the Congress president to announce her party's chief ministerial candidate before visiting the poll-bound state.
"It becomes necessary for Sonia to do so after a Gujarat Congress leader (without naming Shankersinh Vaghela dressed in white kurta pyjama) declared today that he (Vaghela) was the captain of the team (Congress)," Mr Modi told a huge public meeting in Makarapura late on Thursday night.
He claimed Sonia has been tense for the last 10 days before her Gujarat trip because she found it difficult to prepare the final draft of her speech fearing that any error could come in for criticism.
Mr Modi also that the Congress spent huge amounts of money on poll advertisements on all television channels well before the announcement of poll dates in the state asking people to "change direction and situation".
The Gujarat Chief Minister further said that this poll would definitely change the direction and position of the Congress, as the people of Gujarat who have great vision will not allow the Congress to win the assembly poll.
Gujarat votes in two phases on December 13 and 17. The results will be declared on December 20. Mr Modi is widely expected to win the state back for the BJP for a third straight term.
(With PTI inputs)
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