Rahul Gandhi reaches Gujarat today; to meet traders and workers, hold corner meetings in poll-bound state

As poll-bound Gujarat inches closer to election day, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is set to embark on another tour of the state on Monday as part of its political campaign that began over a month ago. [caption id=“attachment_4073005” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Rahul Gandhi. PTI[/caption] Rahul’s visit comes amid a series of speeches by Prime Minister Narendra Modi across Gujarat, taking forward the campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is also the ruling party at the Centre and the state. On Sunday, Modi made a number of election promises and laid foundation stones  as he returned to his hometown of Vadnagar , launching the “Intensified Mission Indradhanush” scheme to accelerate progress towards healthcare goals. Gandhi’s visit will start from Ahmedabad, from where he will head to Khatraj Chokdi in Kheda district for a corner meeting. He will also pay a visit for darshan at Santram Mandir and hold a corner meeting in Nadiad and Anand district. Overall, the Congress-vice president will hold three corner meeting apart from interacting with local leaders traders, entrepreneurs and professionals in Vadodara. Earlier, on 4 September,  Rahul Gandhi  participated in a direct dialogue with party members from across all 182 constituencies, in keeping with the party’s focus on strengthening and revving up the organisation’s ground machinery. The following is the schedule that Rahul is likely to follow on Monday: 11 am : Welcome by workers at Hathijan Circle, District: Ahmedabad 11.30 am : Corner meeting, Khatraj Chokdi, District: Kheda 12 pm: Welcome by Amul Plant workers, Jibhaipura, District: Kheda 12.45 pm: Darshan at Santram Mandir and Corner meeting at Nadiad, District: Kheda 1.30 pm: Visit to Sardar Patel’s birthplace Nadiad, District: Kheda 3:30 pm: Interaction with Representatives of Mahila Milk Cooperatives, Dedarda Village, District: Anand 4 pm: Corner meeting at Shiv Ground, Rathore Chowk, Broad City, District: Anand 7 pm: Interaction with traders, entrepreneurs, and professionals at Sayaji Hall, Vadodara After three successive defeats in Gujarat in 2003, 2007 and 2012, the Congress is aiming to reverse course, a task perhaps made a tad easier in light of the fact that Modi no longer stands as a chief ministerial candidate for BJP. Congress’ chances in the state first seem to have strengthened after  Ahmed Patel's election  to a Rajya Sabha seat in August, a high-stakes contest seen by many as a battle for prestige between the BJP and Congress. Since then, the party has conducted multiple events to advance its Gujarat campaign.