Ahead of J-K assembly polls, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi to visit Jammu, Srinagar tomorrow

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi will travel to Jammu and Srinagar on August 21 and 22 for important meetings to prepare for the upcoming assembly elections.

This visit follows their meeting on Monday with general secretaries, in-charges, and screening committee members from four states heading to the polls.

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“On 21st and 22nd August, Congress President Shri Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi ji will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections,” Congress general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said on X.

https://twitter.com/kcvenugopalmp/status/1825768947108450742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Congress National General Secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir told PTI in Jammu that “Kharge ji and Rahul ji will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir for two days, starting tomorrow. They will arrive in Jammu tomorrow afternoon”.

Mir stated that during their visit, Kharge and Gandhi will hold extensive meetings with party leaders and workers in both Jammu and Srinagar to energize and strengthen the party.

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After their activities in Jammu, they will travel to Srinagar on Wednesday evening to continue their engagements and will hold a press conference there on Thursday.

Following the meeting on Monday, Venugopal informed reporters that the leaders discussed election preparations for Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, as well as guidelines for selecting candidates. He mentioned that the Central Election Committee meeting for Jammu and Kashmir would be held in the next three to four days. Venugopal also stated that the party is open to forming an alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, with the primary goal of preventing the BJP from coming to power.

Also newly-appointed Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra said on Monday that the party is open to talks with like-minded parties to strike a “respectable alliance” for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls but the parameters for such a tie-up would be different from the Lok Sabha elections.

The three-phase elections to the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir assembly will be held on September 18, September 25 and October 1.

The Election Commission has also announced that elections to the 90-member Haryana assembly will be held on October 1 and results for both the polls will be declared on October 4.