By IANS,
Lucknow : Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will Thursday address a public meeting in Allahabad, the birthplace of his great grandfather and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, indicating he is not going to be glued to his Amethi constituency.
This will be his first public address outside his Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh in a long time — and the first in a city.
Also Thursday, Gandhi will take part in a meeting of the Uttar Pradesh Congress coordination committee to discuss preparations for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
“Besides discussing the possible candidates, the committee will discuss the probable seat sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party,” Congress leader Pramod Tiwari told IANS.
The Allahabad rally will be a massive one, Congress sources said.
Congress sources say that Allahabad was chosen since it is the hometown of Jawaharlal Nehru and the late Indira Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother and a former prime minister.
Anand Bhawan in Allahabad where Nehru lived was associated with the Indian freedom struggle.
Thursday’s rally is to be held on the K.P. College grounds, the largest in the heart of the city.
A team of Youth Congress members is involved in efforts to mobilise crowds in Allahabad to put up an impressive show.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Digvijay Singh, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former state unit chief Salman Khurshid and other leaders have reached Allahabad to oversee arrangements for the rally.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee has formed a 34-member body, which includes Gandhi, to prepare for the next Lok Sabha polls. It will finalise a panel of candidates for approval by the party’s high command besides discussing election related issues.
Headed by Rita Bahuguna, the committee also has Congress leaders such as Mohsina Kidwai, S.P. Jaiswal, Salman Khurshid, Rajiv Shukla and Sanjay Singh.