Rahul Gandhi arrives in city, gets a rousing welcome

All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi arrived at Lohegaon airport on Monday night. On his way to Raj Bhavan, he got out of the car twice to accept bouquets and greetings from the people gathered on both sides of the roads.

A few Congress leaders had brought schoolchildren to welcome him, at 5 pm to welcome Gandhi. They had to stand on the road for almost four hours.

The Congress leader arrived in Pune on Tuesday night and was accompanied by All India Congress Committee (AICC) incharge of Maharashtra Mohan Prakash, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakare.

Minister for forests Patangrao Kadam, city unit president Abhay Chhajed, deputy mayor Bandu Gaikwad, MLC Mohan Joshi, Sharad Ranpise and MLA Ramesh Bagwe welcomed him. He would be reviewing the state unit’s preparations by holding meetings with district-level and block-level office bearers of the party  at Balewadi Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Soon after coming out of the airport at 8.55 pm, he left for Raj Bhavan. But as soon as the convoy came out of the airport at the first chowk, Rahul asked the driver to stop the car and got out of the car to meet people on the roadside who had gathered in big numbers to see him.

He quickly accepted the greetings by the people and the car sped towards Raj Bhavan. Again at Mula Road, he saw a huge crowd waiting to see him and got out of the car and made it a point to meet a few old women at a nearby locality before leaving Mula Road. He reached Raj Bhavan at 9.15 pm.