Jammu/New Delhi, Aug 20: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi are scheduled to visit Jammu and Srinagar on August 21 and 22 for crucial meetings ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. This visit follows their recent meeting with general secretaries, in-charges, and screening committee members from four poll-bound states on Monday.
Congress General Secretary (Organization) K.C. Venugopal announced on X that, “On August 21 and 22, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi ji will be in Jammu and Srinagar for important meetings to strategize for the upcoming assembly elections.”
On 21st and 22nd August, Hon’ble Congress President Shri Mallikarjun @kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Shri @RahulGandhi ji will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections.
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) August 20, 2024
In Jammu, Congress National General Secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir informed media agency (PTI) that Kharge and Gandhi will arrive in Jammu tomorrow afternoon. Their visit will involve intensive discussions with party leaders and workers to galvanize and strengthen the party’s base. Following their engagement in Jammu, they will travel to Srinagar on Wednesday evening to continue their interactions and hold a press conference on Thursday.
After their Monday meeting, Venugopal indicated that the leaders reviewed the party’s preparations for elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, and discussed candidate selection guidelines. He added that the Central Election Committee’s meeting for Jammu and Kashmir is expected to occur within the next three to four days. The party is also considering potential alliances in Jammu and Kashmir with the primary goal of preventing the BJP from forming the government.
Newly-appointed Jammu and Kashmir Congress Chief Tariq Hameed Karra emphasized on Monday that the party is open to discussions with like-minded parties to form a “respectable alliance” for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. However, he noted that the criteria for such an alliance would differ from those applied during the Lok Sabha elections.
The elections for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly will be conducted in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. Additionally, the Election Commission has announced that the Haryana assembly elections will take place on October 1, with results for both Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana polls to be declared on October 4.