Rahul Gandhi Returns to Lead Congress Campaign in Bengal, Priyanka Gandhi to Follow

Rahul Gandhi Returns to West Bengal Campaigning After Five Years

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will kick off the Congress campaign for the West Bengal Assembly elections on Tuesday, marking his return to poll campaigning in the state after five years. His sister and AICC general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, is also expected to visit the state in the coming days to campaign for Congress candidates.

According to Congress insiders, Gandhi will begin his campaign from Uttar Dinajpur before going to address rallies in Malda and Murshidabad. These three Muslim-dominated districts were once bastions of the Congress, but the party's influence has eroded over the years. However, it continues to retain pockets of support that could prove crucial in a closely fought contest.

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The Congress is seeking to revive its presence in West Bengal after drawing a blank in the 2021 Assembly elections, when it contested in alliance with the Left. Gandhi is likely to return to campaign in these districts, as well as in Purulia and parts of North Bengal, where the party is hoping to regain a foothold in the upcoming polls.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is expected to campaign in these districts. In the Baharampur constituency, both Rahul and Priyanka will campaign for the party's heavyweight candidate, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who has returned to Bengal politics after three decades to contest the Assembly election from his home turf.

The 70-year-old Chowdhury had previously contested the Lok Sabha elections from Baharampur in 1991, 1996, and 1998. The last time Gandhi campaigned in West Bengal was during the 2021 Assembly elections, when he began his outreach from north Bengal on April 14. Addressing a rally in Siliguri, he described the BJP's promise of a "Sonar Bangla" as a "mirage" and accused the party of attempting to undermine Bengal's culture.

However, his 2021 campaign was cut short due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi did not campaign in Bengal, where the Congress once again contested in alliance with the Left. The party managed to secure one seat, with Isha Khan Chowdhury winning from Malda Dakshin. Earlier in 2024, Gandhi passed through the state during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, covering parts of both north and south Bengal.

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