Delhi Assembly Polls: Rahul Gandhi to lead walks as Congress seeks to regain lost ground

The walks will be held in constituencies that the party considers crucial for its revival in Delhi.

According to sources, while discussions are still on, the New Delhi constituency, where former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is fighting former MP Sandeep Dikshit, the son of late CM Sheila Dikshit, will make the list. Another constituency that is said to be finalised is North West Delhi’s Badli, where Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav is in the fray. Constituencies that are currently under consideration include Kasturba Nagar and Kalkaji.

“The focus is going to be on JJ clusters and economically vulnerable areas. Gandhi will interact with residents to understand their challenges,” sources said. The interactions will be showcased on social media platforms.

Party insiders have confirmed that Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might also join her brother. “The motive is not just to strengthen the engagement of our candidates with the people but also to highlight the failures of AAP at the ground level. Congress is ready to take on the ruling party head-on… these walks will be in addition to the election rallies that Gandhi is going to address,” said a senior Congress leader.

Congress is also planning to rope in senior leaders, including Sachin Pilot; and Haryana leaders to campaign in constituencies that border Haryana.

Areas such as Mundka with agriculture in focus, as well as Muslim-majority regions in northeast Delhi are also expected to be on the list.

The Congress, which once held sway in Delhi under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit, has been struggling to reclaim its position since AAP’s rise in 2013. Even as the two parties are members of the INDIA bloc to put a united front against the BJP at the national level, the Congress has mostly been focusing on the failures of the incumbent AAP in the Capital.

Gandhi had launched the Congress’s campaign in the Capital less than a week ago, and addressed a crowd at the “Jai Bhim-Jai Samvidhan” public meeting in Northeast Delhi’s Seelampur. At the event, he drew parallels between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kejriwal. “When Kejriwal came to power, he said he’d clean Delhi, turn it into Paris, and remove corruption. Now, you tell me — has corruption decreased?… What did Modi and Kejriwal say? That they will ensure inflation reduces. Has inflation reduced? Has Modi said anything about these rich people controlling the country? Has Kejriwal ever spoken against them?” he had asked those who had gathered.

A day after addressing the Seelampur voters, on January 14, Gandhi also put out a video questioning the AAP chief on his promises of “making Delhi as beautiful as Paris, London” on his social media accounts.