With UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi scheduled to address a farmers rally at Rajkot on Wednesday,the Congress is finally set to make its presence felt in an election campaign so far dominated by Chief Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP. The Congress hopes to make its first public meet a show of strength at this hub of Saurashtra,a region that comprises 58 of the total 182 Assembly seats in the state and has become even more politically crucial given the possibility of a triangular contest between Congress,BJP and the Gujarat Parivartan Party led by former CM Keshubhai Patel. As Sonia starts her campaign from Rajkot,Congress also hopes to exploit the prospect of Keshubhais party inflicting serious damage on the BJP in this bastion of Leuva Patels,a community to which the former CM belongs. Earlier this week,Keshubhai started his statewide Parivartan Yatra from Virpur in Rajkot district. Another issue that the Congress hopes to capitalise on is a spate of suicides by debt-ridden farmers due to crop failure on account of deficient rains. Already,Congress has seized the opportunity by announcing Rs 1 lakh compensation each for the families of the deceased. The opposition party,in a departure from the past polls,is avoiding an attack on Modi and instead focussing on its 12-point development agenda,which includes sops for almost all. The partys election campaign in-charge Shankersinh Vaghela has maintained that even speeches of central leaders will be prepared in consultation with the state unit to avoid giving any mileage to Modi,even through negative publicity. Sonia is also to visit Kaba Gandhi no Delo (Mahatma Gandhis home in Rajkot),Ramkrishna Ashram and Bal Bhavan before the rally.
