Rahul Gandhi to hold last state rally at Sangamner

Mumbai: Congress president Rahul Gandhi will hold his last state rally at Sangamner in Maharashtra on Friday.

So far, the Congress president has addressed five rallies in the state. The Gandhi family is visiting Sangamner, which has always been a Congress bastion, after 58 years.

In 1961, late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Sangamener to inaugurate a water tank.

Earlier, Mr Gandhi’s rally was expected to take place in Sinnar taluka, Nashik district. But owing to security reasons, the SPG rejected the ground stating that the ground wasn’t safe for Mr Gandhi’s public rally.

Meanwhile, Mr Gandhi and general secretary of the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, will not hold a public meeting in Mumbai.

This has raised questions over the performance of six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai.

Sources said that the Congress president was to hold a road show in all six constituencies in Mumbai Thursday, and was to proceed to Sinnar and Nandurbar the next day. The programme has now been changed completely.

Sangamner is a stronghold of senior Congress leader and former revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat.

Mr Thorat is also an archrival of senior Congress leader Radhak-rishna Vikhe-Patil.

Speaking with The Asian Age, Youth Cong-ress president Satyajeet Tambe said that they had invited all state leaders, including Mr Vikhe-Patil, for Mr Gandhi’s rally at Sangamner.  Around 70,000 people are expected at the rally.

The rally is meant for the Shirdi and Nashik Lok Sabha constituencies. Mr Gandhi’s meeting will be held at Janataraja Maidan in Sangamner.