Rahul Gandhi to visit J-K today, to sound poll bugle with two mega rallies ahead of assembly polls

As the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls draw near, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit the union territory today to kickstart poll campaigning with two rallies. 

LoP Rahul Gandhi is set to hold two mega public rallies in the Ramban and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir, as a part of the campaigning for the party candidates contesting the first phase of the assembly polls dated September 18. 

According to the report by PTI, Rahul Gandhi, who will arrive in Jammu later today, will first campaign for former Jammu and Kashmir unit party chief Vikar Rasool Wani, who is contesting from the Banihal assembly constituency, said Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief Tariq Hamid Karra. 

Rahul Gandhi will later head to the Dooru area of Anantnag district, where he will hold another mega rally in support of Congress general secretary and former minister Ghulam Ahmed Mir, who has been fielded from the Dooru assembly segment.

The Congress MP will return to Delhi in the evening, added the JKPCC Chief. 

The polling for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly will be held in three phases -- September 18, September 25, and October 1. The results will be announced on October 4. Notably, this is the first time that elections are being held in the union territory after the abrogation of article 370. 

Congress banking on Gandhi to reclaim party's dominance 

The grand old party is banking on Congress MP and LoP Rahul Gandhi to reclaim the party's dominance in the union territory. Moreover, as evident in the Lok Sabha polls, the public mandate in Jammu has slightly shifted towards the BJP with the party securing both seats in the elections. 

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also affirmed her participation in the upcoming polls in Jammu and Kashmir. 

Congress-National Conference Alliance 

Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, the Congress party and the National Conference (NC) joined hands together with a pact of contesting 32 and 51 seats respectively. 

"We have agreed to have a friendly but disciplined contest…Over and above these seats, we have left 1 seat for CPI (M) and 1 seat for Panthers Party,” Karra had said in a briefing. 

Meanwhile, NC Chief Farooq Abdullah stepped out of the poll bid, leaving his son and former J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah as one of the main contenders. 

Moreover, former Chief Ministers and senior politicians Mehbooba Mufti and Ghulam Nabi Azad, also opted out of the polls, indicating a significant change in the political landscape of the union territory. 

It is worth noting that Omar Abdullah, who earlier announced to not to contest the polls, is being seen as the primary face of the anti-BJP alliance, and his entry to the fray is likely to galvanise the NC's support base.