Rahul Gandhi 3-day south Gujarat tour to begin today

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will kick off his three-day tour of south Gujarat, a region where his party has seen diminishing returns in the past few elections, from Wednesday.

The Congress party scion will land at Vadodara and start his tour from Jambusar in Bharuch district with a brief speech. He will then travel to different constituencies in Bharuch, the hometown of senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ahmed Patel, addressing corner meetings, interacting with youths and others. He will also travel to parts of Surat and Tapi districts.

In the 2012 elections, the Congress had won just six out of 32 Assembly seats in south Gujarat, comprising Bharuch, Tapi, Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Dangs. The party had drawn a blank in Surat city, and failed to win a single seat in Bharuch. It also suffered losses in many tribal seats.

Over the course of his three-day tour, Gandhi will cover more than 20 Assembly segments. Among other issues, he is expected to take on the Narendra Modi-led NDA government over demonetisation and GST, especially in Surat, which had witnessed huge prolonged protests.

On the second day of his visit, Gandhi is slated to address a women's meet in Vyara. He would also pay a visit to the famous Unai Mata temple, which is known for its hot water springs. Meetings with anganwadi workers and tribals and a dialogue with industry leaders are also on the cards.

On Day 3 of his tour, he will cover Valsad, Navsari and Surat city, interact with farmers, fishermen and women.

The key highlight of his three-day tour, which incidentally will be his last public engagement of the visit, is the public meeting at Varachha Road in Surat.

Patels dominate more than 50 Assembly seats in the state, and is one community that can tilt the electoral scale in the favour of the party it supports. The community has been the strongest supporter of BJP in the past couple of decades, but at present is unhappy with the party over denial of reservation benefits. Gandhi is expected to make all out efforts to reach out to them. Whether he is successful in doing so or not, remains to be seen.

PART OF SCHEDULE

• The Congress party scion will land at Vadodara and start his tour from Jambusar in Bharuch district with a brief speech. He will then travel to different constituencies in Bharuch, addressing meetings.