After PM’s rally in Patiala, Congress candidate Dr Dharamvira Gandhi’s SOS to Rahul

Aman Sood

Patiala, May 24

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Polo Ground, the Congress plans a similar rally by Rahul Gandhi at the same venue on May 29 to get a last-minute political boost.

Last-minute boost

• The Congress plans a similar rally by Rahul Gandhi at the same venue on May 29 to get a last-minute boost for its candidate Dr Dharamvira Gandhi.
• Another all-woman event to be addressed by Priyanka Gandhi will be held in Patiala on May 26

Another all-woman event to be addressed by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi will be held in Patiala on May 26, which will be attended by women workers of the party.

With Capt Amarinder Singh missing from the campaign, the Congress leaders’ visit to Patiala is being observed seriously and “could be the turning point,” given the fact that Patiala is traditionally a Congress bastion.

“Being nurtured by Capt Amarinder Singh and his wife Preneet Kaur for the past over two decades, the Congress is keen to ride on the popularity of Rahul and Priyanka to win this seat,” said a political expert.

Following the Modi rally in Patiala on Thursday, the Congress has asked its popular leaders to visit Patiala and give boost to Dr Dharamvira Gandhi’s campaign.

“As for now, we will hold a show of strength at the venue where the PM addressed his Thursday’s rally. A formal sanction by the district administration will be taken”, Dr Gandhi said. “We will make it a huge show as, unlike the BJP, we will have supporters coming to the rally on their own to listen to them”, he added.

Sources say that soon after the PM rally, Dharamavira has sent an SOS to the party high command for the much-needed boost.

Sources within the party say that the Congress camp is confident that they will win Patiala as the party is getting a good response from all nine Vidhan Sabha segments that fall under the constituency. “To ensure that whatever little ripple effect the PM rally had in Patiala, it will vanish once Rahul makes his vision about Punjab clear to the electorate”, says Dharamvira.