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Priyanka From Rae Bareli & Rahul From Amethi?

Congress to hold meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee to decide the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls…reports Asian Lite News

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will likely make her electoral debut from the party’s Uttar Pradesh stronghold of Raebareli – a seat won thrice by ex-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi – sources said.

Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, may return to the Congress’ other UP stronghold – Amethi – which he lost in a shock defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Smriti Irani in 2019. Gandhi will also fight from his current seat of Wayanad in Kerala; victory here had allowed him to retain his Lok Sabha status after the last election.

There has always been a ‘will she, won’t she’ air about Ms Gandhi Vadra and elections. Before 2019 she set tongues wagging after quipping “why not”, when asked if she would contest from Varanasi – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bastion.

Her entry now comes after her mother, ex-party boss Sonia Gandhi – said she would not seek re-election from Raebareli, a seat she has won five times in the past, including in 2019.

In that election she was the sole Congress leader to win a UP Lok Sabha seat. Gandhi’s Lok Sabha-to-Rajya Sabha shift – she has been elected from Rajasthan – was supposed to signal a shift in party leadership before the general election.

As she did so, she made an emotional appeal to Raebareli’s voters, which has been won by a member of the Gandhi family in all but three general elections since independence.

After the Congress confirmed Sonia Gandhi’s withdrawal from Raebareli, there was speculation Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would finally contest an election.

There were even posters in Raebareli this week urging the Congress to name Ms Gandhi Vadra as its candidate for the prestigious seat. “Take Congress’ development work forward, Raebareli is calling… Priyanka Gandhiji, please come,” the posters said. The Congress has now responded to that call.

In 2019, Smriti Irani beat Rahul Gandhi by 55,000-odd votes for one of the biggest upsets of the election. The BJP has allowed her to defend the seat and, last week, she challenged Mr Gandhi.

“In 2019 he left Amethi. Today Amethi has left him. If he is confident then, without going to Wayanad… let him fight from Amethi,” she told NDTV, as Mr Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ entered the constituency. “Empty roads tell us what people feel about Rahul Gandhi.”

The BJP has not yet announced its Raebareli candidate; in 2019 the party fielded Dinesh Pratap Singh, who slumped to defeat by over 1.8 lakh votes in the constituency.

The party has, however, confirmed that Ms Irani will defend her Amethi seat, setting up the first of two blockbuster contests in the politically significant state of Uttar Pradesh.

Congress CEC to meet today

Congress will hold a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee on Thursday to decide the first list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is the chairperson of the committee and its members include former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

“The first meeting of @INCIndia Central Election Committee(CEC) that considers and decides on candidates for Lok Sabha polls is being held at 6 pm on March 7th,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

The Congress panel tasked with preparing the party’s manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls has prepared the draft which will now be discussed by the Congress Working Committee.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who heads the manifesto committee, said on Tuesday that the draft report will be presented to the Congress president.

“We have prepared the draft manifesto. Now it will go to the Congress Working Committee. They will finalize the manifesto then it will become the Congress party document. Tomorrow we will hand over this draft to the Congress President,” he said.

The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May this year.

‘Caste census is an X-ray for India’

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi has said that an X-ray is conducted when a hand bone is broken and similarly, the caste census is an X-ray for India. The Congress leader made the remark while addressing a public gathering during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Ratlam district in the state on Wednesday.

“Firstly, we will have to get an X-ray done for India. An X-ray is conducted when a hand bone is broken. Similarly, the caste census is an X-ray for India,” Rahul Gandhi said.

Earlier, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh also said that conducting a socio-economic caste census is one of the two guarantees announced by the Congress party.

“Rahul Gandhi is continuously speaking about nyaya (justice) which is Nari Nyay, Yuva Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Shramik Nyay, and Hissedari Nyay. Till now Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Kharge have talked about two guarantees associated with Kisan Nyay and Hissedari Nyay. First, passing a law granting legal status to MSP in Parliament for farmers and the MSP will be based on the formula suggested by M S Swaminathan. Second, conducting a socio-economic caste census, which will be an important step for social empowerment and economic justice,” Ramesh said. (ANI)

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Priyanka Faces EC Notice For ‘False Statement’ Against Modi

On a November 8 rally in Madhya Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi alleged that PM Narendra Modi has handed over government companies to his industrialist friends…reports Asian Lite News

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra over her “false statement” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a public rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh where model code of conduct has come into force.

The commission has asked the Congress leader to explain the statement by November 16 by 8:00 pm, as to why appropriate action for violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) as well as provisions of election and penal laws should not be taken against her.

The notice from the Elections Commission came following a complaint filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the poll body that while addressing a public rally at Sanwer Assembly Constituency in Madhya Pradesh, “she made unverified and false statements in respect of PM Narendra Modi that have the potential to mislead the public and tarnish the image of PM.”

“You are hereby called upon to explain your statement made against star campaigner of another National Party and to show cause by 2000 hrs of 16th November 2023 as to why appropriate action for violation of Model Code of Conduct should not be taken against you,” the poll body said in the notice issued to Priyanka.

The ECI further said that clause 2 of Part I ‘General Conduct’of Model Code of Conduct for the guidance of Political Parties and Candidates’ provides–“Criticism of other political parties, when made, shall be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. Parties and Candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the leaders or workers of other parties. Criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided.”

Other parties or their workers shall not be criticised based on unverified allegations or distortions, it added.

Notably, also the Supreme Court, in the Guruji Shrihari Baliram Jivatode vs Vithalrao case (1969) held that the political history of even countries like England shows that sensational false election propaganda against a political party, particularly on the eve of an election might upset the party’s electoral fortune. But the advantage gained from free criticism–though sometimes it may turn out to be irresponsible–in the long run outweighs the disadvantages.

Earlier on November 8, Addressing a rally in support of Congress candidates in Sanwer in the Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handed over government companies to his industrialist friends.

“Modi ji, the BHEL from which we used to get employment and the country was moving forward, what did you do with this? To whom did you give it? Why did you give this to your industrialist friends?” Priyanka Gandhi said.

The poll commission also said that whereas, the public generally believes that the statements made by the senior leader that too of a star campaigner of a national party, are true, it is expected that such a leader is privy to and possesses a factual base of the statements made by him/her. (ANI)

Modi’s Remarks on Rahul Triggers Barb Between BJP, Cong

The Congress Party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been indulged in a war of words over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi wherein the PM called the Wayanad MP ‘Murkhon Ke Sardar’ after the latter’s claim on the dominance of “Made in China” mobile phones in India.

Hitting back at PM Modi, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said that the PM has ‘abused’ the public with his remarks against the Congress leader.

“The Prime Minister’s ego has increased so much that now he is abusing the public,” he said.

However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the public to which Baghel was referring would be living on some other planet, not in India.

“…Once a person said Indira is India and India is Indira, that time has passed. If Bhupesh Baghel thinks that Rahul Gandhi is the public then that public will not be the public living in India, that public would be living on some other planet. No Indian public considers themself to be one with Rahul Gandhi…” Sarma said.

He also said that what the PM spoke about Rahul Gandhi is ‘definitely true’.

“…Yes he definitely is. There is nothing new in that. People all over India know what he is. You must have seen him in Parliament how he used to approach the Prime Minister…He keeps talking about ‘Mohabbat’ and ‘Dukaan’. Can ‘Mohabbat’ and ‘Dukaan’ be together? ‘Mohabbat’ means true love and ‘Dukaan’ is for sale and purchase…So love can never have a shop. Someone gives a script to Rahul Gandhi and he just reads it. He is trying to show him as an angry young man. So that’s why I think that what the Prime Minister has said, everyone in India knows it. This is what is in everyone’s mind,” he added.

PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi without taking his name and mocked the Wayanad MP calling him ‘Murkhon Ke sardar’ after the latter’s claim on the dominance of “Made in China” mobile phones in India.

Addressing a rally in Betul district of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the PM took a swipe at the Congress and said that the leaders of the party have this mental disease of not recognising the achievements of their own countrymen.

“One wise leader of the Congress said yesterday that everyone in India has ‘Made in China’ mobile phones. Arre Murkhon ke Sardar, (the leader of stupid people) in which world do you live! The leaders of the Congress have this mental disease of not recognising the achievements of their own countrymen,” the PM said.

He further said that he ‘wondered’ which foreign lens the Congress leaders use as they are absolutely clueless about what is happening in the country.

“The leaders of the Congress are flying so high that they can’t see the poor on the ground and are also clueless about the ground realities,” the Prime Minister said.

Further, he claimed that India has now become the second leading manufacturer of mobile phones in the world.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP government and claimed that the Indian market is being dominated by Chinese products.

“Today, we see ‘Made in China’ on shirts, cameras, mobile phones. Have you ever seen ‘Made in Madhya Pradesh’ written on any product? The Congress wants to start factories in Madhya Pradesh so that the youth of the state get job opportunities. We hope a day comes when a youth takes out his mobile phone in China and that phone has been manufactured in Madhya Pradesh,” Rahul had said at a rally in Madhya Pradesh. (ANI)

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Priyanka accuses govt of giving country’s wealth to few industrialists

The Congress leader also said that the paddy farmers in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh earn more than the farmers in BJP-ruled states…reports Asian Lite News

Attacking the BJP-led government in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday accused it of handing over the resources and wealth of the country to a few big industrialists and urged voters to exercise their franchise “carefully and wisely” in the assembly polls.

Addressing a rally in Kurud in Dhamtari district, she alleged that ports, airports and other infrastructure were being handed over to a particular industrialist.

The Congress leader said people want jobs in government-run companies as they have a sense of security.

“It is not their property that they are selling at cheap rates. Take big government companies – railways, BHEL, HAL…..today in whose hands they are. They were in your hands. You use to say get us jobs in these companies because we want security, want government job. In whose hands are the country’s ports, airports. It is in hands of Adani. Who is Adani. Is he a poor person, a farmer, a labourer. What does he manufacture?”

She said top industralists earlier were known for what they manufactured – what Tata made and also the things Birla makes.

“People knew Tata manufactures trucks, who manufactures tooth paste, utensils, cloth…, you knew they are big industralists and what they do and they manufacture for your convenience and manufacture goods of use.

“Today, tell what does Adani, Ambaniji manufacture. Can anyone tell what they make. How many people work for them, how many jobs they give, you can’t tell… They don’t manufacture, what was yours has been taken. Nothing is being made for you. This was your property which should have gone in your pockets,” she alleged.

The Congress leader also said that the paddy farmers in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh earn more than the farmers in BJP-ruled states.

“What is being given (by state government) for paddy in Chhattisgarh is not being given in any other state. When Modiji comes, he says that he is the one who is sending money for the purchase of paddy, but this is not the truth. In Uttar Pradesh, where BJP is in power, even today paddy is being purchased at Rs 1200-1400 (per quintal). Not only this, a farmer in PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, gets Rs 1200-1400 for paddy,” she said.

Congress in Chhattisgarh has promised paddy procurement at Rs 3,200 per quintal (20 quintals per acre), including input subsidy being given under the Rajiv Gandhi Nyay Yojna.

Priyanka Gandhi said that Bastar area of the state that was earlier known for violence, is now known for the world famous millets, which are processed here.

Praising her party’s government in Chhattisgarh, she said it had delivered what it had promised before the elections.

Priyanka Gandhi asked people to compare the situation in Chhattisgarh with the neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and “see the difference”. She said the Chhattisgarh government had saved the people from “backbreaking inflation”.

The Congress leader said Chhattisgarh was “emerging as a role model state for the rest of the country” where people were happy. She claimed that people who had migrated to other parts of the country had started returning as “farming was becoming profitable”.

Congress general secretary and AICC in-charge for Chhattisgarh Kumari Selja and other senior party leaders were also present.

Voting for the first phase of the Chattisgarh Assembly Elections for 20 seats was held today.

Voting in the remaining 70 seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 3. (ANI)

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Filming ‘Love Again’ a terrifying experience for Priyanka

Sam admits that the pandemic was one of the main reasons he accepted the chance to play the male lead in the film…reports Asian Lite News

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas was forced to cope with a “daunting atmosphere” on ‘Love Again’.

The 40-year-old actress stars in the new romantic comedy film alongside Sam Heughan and Celine Dion but admits it was tricky to generate the emotions required as the picture was filmed in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was nuts at that time. It was tough, but it was a scary time in the world. As actors, we’re the ones that have to take off our masks on set. I was terrified, honestly, in the beginning. It was a very scary, daunting atmosphere, and we were doing a romantic comedy – we had to bring lightness and fun to set in this daunting atmosphere,” she recalled to Entertainment Weekly, reports aceshowbiz.com.

“We really leaned on each other to create a fun environment on set with each other. We would laugh and crack jokes and tried to find the joy so that we could inspire and infuse ourselves as well. But it wasn’t easy.”

Priyanka stars in the film as Mira Ray, who – struggling to cope with the death of her fiance – sends romantic messages to his old phone number, which has been reassigned to journalist Rob Burns (Heughan). Rob is drawn to Mira’s beautiful texts and seeks Celine Dion’s assistance to find her in real life when he is tasked with writing a feature about the ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer.

Sam admits that the pandemic was one of the main reasons he accepted the chance to play the male lead in the film.

The ‘Outlander’ star said, “I think we were all ready for it. After the lockdowns and being in isolation, everyone was ready to feel joy again. That’s why this was such a well-timed movie to make. I think we all, certainly after the pandemic and everything else that’s going on in the world, needed this kind of movie and this kind of message.”

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‘Wherever I go in the world, I am an Indian first’

As a closure to the conversation, PC spoke about the merits of long-format content: “Long format content is a blessing for the actors because they get to explore the character more and the back stories.”…reports Asian Lite News

Actress-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who recently flew down to India for professional commitments, is all set to be seen in the upcoming streaming series ‘Citadel,’ in which she plays an elite spy along with Richard Madden.

Priyanka transitioned to the west almost a decade ago as she explored opportunities in music and worked with the likes of Pitbull and will.i.am, and eventually starred in projects like ‘Quantico’ and ‘Baywatch’, with ‘Citadel’ on the horizon.

The actress might have been in the west for quite some time but she holds her Indian values close to her heart.PC said: “India is my identity. Wherever I go in the world, I am an Indian first and then everything else. I take a lot of pride in being born in a country which boasts of an ancient culture and such a mind-blowing mix of people.”

She then factored in the concept of Indian hospitality which is known all over the world as she shared: “And I mean the world knows that nothing can come even remotely close to the Indian hospitality and the sentiment of ‘atithi devo bhavah’. So, these are the values that I hold close to my heart and practice in my everyday life because that’s who I am.”

Being an Indian in a sea of American talents, who call the shots in Hollywood, it also gives her a sense of purpose. She told IANS: “It has been my aim to represent India on the international canvas. People from the South Asian community have been working in the west for very many years but, for some reason they were never given a chance to headline a project or to feature on the posters of an international film, in most of the cases.”

She further mentioned: “When I started working in the west, it became very important for me to bring my community to the forefront and to bring in the recognition for the country which practically is one of the biggest film and entertainment markets. I take it up as my responsibility to ensure that all people from the South Asian community appear on the poster or headline the projects for the English content which is the global content and is viewed in most of the countries.”

The first episode of ‘Citadel’ perfectly sets the tone for the series with its pitch-perfect mounting of action and establishment of characters as a lot of drama unfolds between the heavy action sequences. When asked if she did any improvisation or if she went completely by the book. Thie actress said: “The most interesting part about the opening sequence was that there was a lot of action happening inside the train – People were dying, an explosion was happening and I and Richard were still having a dialogue, screaming at each other across the two ends of the coach because that’s how the relationship between these two agents is.”

“So, there were a lot of improvisations even before the camera started rolling, while preparing the scenes we used to exchange a lot of information about the scene,” she added.

As a closure to the conversation, PC spoke about the merits of long-format content: “Long format content is a blessing for the actors because they get to explore the character more and the back stories.”

“As for the viewers, they also find it more engaging and invest more of their time trying to understand the world of the series or the film, the characters and where they come from,” she concluded.

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Fashionable premiere of Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Citadel’

Jim recently bid adieu to his part of India’s pioneer in the field of nuclear physics — Dr. Homi Bhabha after his character died in the series during an air crash…reports Asian Lite News

Actor Jim Sarbh, who was recently seen in the second season of the streaming show ‘Rocket Boys’, put his best fashion foot forward at the blue carpet of the Asia-Pacific premiere of the Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden-starrer streaming show ‘Citadel’.

For the occasion, Jim’s sartorial choice included shades of black in prominence teamed with sea green and crimson. He wore a black coloured t-shirt paired with black pants and broke the colour with a floral -skull print blazer. He rounded up his look with salt and pepper hairdo and a light stubble.

Jim recently bid adieu to his part of India’s pioneer in the field of nuclear physics — Dr. Homi Bhabha after his character died in the series during an air crash.

Meanwhile, ‘Citadel’ which will see Priyanka stepping into the shoes of an elite spy, will tell the story of the eponymous spy agency as it puts together its resources to get back the memories of its agents from across the world after one of their own agents goes rogue. The series will drop on Prime Video on April 28, 2023.

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Priyanka pulling off action sequences in ‘Citadel’

The first season of the global series consists of six-episodes with two episodes premiering on April 28 on Prime Video and one episode rolling out weekly through May 26…reports Asian Lite News

The trailer of the spy-thriller series ‘Citadel’, which was released recently, sees actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas engaging in some heavy-duty action as she plays a spy along with Richard Madden. The trailer, which is a little over two minutes in length, starts off with fast cuts of montages. With generous dutch tilt shots, even the credits, it has Priyanka pulling off action sequences, gun fights and chase sequences.

The show, which is the global umbrella series for other national counterparts, tells the story of the eponymous independent global spy agency which gets destroyed by operatives of Manticore as the former was tasked to uphold the safety and security of all people. Manticore is a powerful syndicate.

With Citadel’s fall, elite agents Mason Kane (played by Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas) had their memories wiped as they narrowly escaped with their lives. They continue to be hidden from the world, building new lives under new identities, unaware of their pasts. Until one night, when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick (played by Stanley Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order.

Mason seeks out his former partner, Nadia, and the two spies embark on a mission that takes them around the world in an effort to stop Manticore, all while contending with a relationship built on secrets, lies, and a dangerous-yet-undying love.

The first season of the global series consists of six-episodes with two episodes premiering on April 28 on Prime Video and one episode rolling out weekly through May 26. The series is executive produced by the Russo Brothers’ AGBO and showrunner David Weil, and stars Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, with Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville. aCitadel’ will premiere in multiple languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

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Priyanka promises a complete love-filled ride

The trailer starts with a glimpse of Priyanka as Mira who struggles to move on with her life after the death of her boyfriend…reports Asian Lite News

The makers of ‘Love Again’ starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan dropped the trailer of the film on the occasion of Valentine’s Day, and promised a complete love-filled ride.

It tells the tale of a grieving Priyanka who gives love another chance after a loss. Priyanka’s American pop-star husband, singer-actor Nick Jonas has a cameo in the film as they share an awkward kiss.

The trailer starts with a glimpse of Priyanka as Mira who struggles to move on with her life after the death of her boyfriend. She keeps sending texts at the old number which is now being used by Sam, as his new work phone.

Rob, who is a journalist, gets fascinated by Mira’s honest and heartbroken texts as she opens up about her old wounds. Rob and Mira cross paths at an opera night and hit it off but Rob is scared to open up about his feelings towards her.

‘Love Again’, directed by Jim Strouse, is slated to release in theatres May 12, 2023. Based on the 2016 German film SMS fur Dich by Karoline Herfurth, the film was previously titled ‘Text for You’.

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‘I’ve never had pay parity in Bollywood’

My generation of female actors have definitely asked [for equal pay],” she added. “We’ve asked, but we’ve not got it.”…says Priyanka

Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas revealed in an interview that her upcoming Amazon Prime Video series ‘Citadel’ is the first time she’s ever received equal pay as her male co-stars. She has been acting for 20 years.

“I’ve never had pay parity in Bollywood,” Priyanka said in an interview for BBC’s 100 Women (via The Independent).

“I would get paid about 10 per cent of the salary of my male co-actor. (The pay gap) is large, substantially large. And so many women still deal with that. I’m sure I will too if I worked with a male co-actor now in Bollywood.

“My generation of female actors have definitely asked [for equal pay],” she added. “We’ve asked, but we’ve not got it.”

Priyanka detailed other ways in which she contended against sexism while working on Bollywood productions. “I thought it was absolutely ok to sit for hours and hours on set, while my male co-actor just took his own time, and decided whenever he wanted to show up on set is when we would shoot,” she said.

“I was called ‘black cat’ and ‘dusky.’ I mean, what does ‘dusky’ even mean in a country where we are literally all brown?” Chopra Jonas continued. “I thought I was not pretty enough, I believed that I would have to work a lot harder, even though I thought I was probably a little bit more talented than my fellow actors who were lighter skinned.”

Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming ‘Citadel’ hails from ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ directors Joe and Anthony Russo and features an ensemble cast that is headlined by Priyanka and Richard Madden.

The show is billed as an “action-packed spy series” that spans the globe, and it’s being designed to launch spinoff series set in India, Spain Mexico and more.

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Priyanka to start Cong poll campaign on Oct 10

Corruption, unemployment and poor performance of the government will be among the major issues in the forthcoming Assembly elections, said AICC spokesperson Alka Lamba…reports Asian Lite News

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will start the election campaign from Solan in Himachal Pradesh from October 10 and will address a rally in the state.

Priyanka Gandhi is likely to hold the fort of the Congress in the state since Rahul Gandhi is leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Congress is eyeing a comeback in the hill state and this will be the first election in the state which will be without Virbhadra Singh. However, the Congress has appointed his wife Pratibha Singh as the state president.

The Congress is confident of clawing back to power, and banks largely on the trend of alternate governments in the state since 1985. The party is, however, facing a leadership crisis in the state and has also witnessed veterans jumping ship to the BJP.

The latest high-profile exit from the Congress party was loyalist and three-time legislator Harsh Mahajan, who for over a decade played a crucial role in strengthening the party’s organisation at the grassroots under Virbhadra Singh.

Mahajan, 66, also close to Congress loyalist-turned-rebel Ghulam Nabi Azad, was president of the state Youth Congress for nine years, the longest serving president so far, and served as a cabinet minister and a parliamentary secretary for 10 years.

Before Mahajan, the other prominent leaders who defected were five-time legislator Ram Lal Thakur, who resigned as vice-president of the party committee citing “displeasure” over its working, and two sitting legislators — Lakhwinder Rana and Pawan Kajal.

Interestingly both Mahajan and Kajal were appointed the state working presidents, along with two others, Rajinder Rana and Vinay Kumar, when the three-term MP Pratibha Singh, the widow of Virbhadra Singh, was appointed the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president in April.

Corruption, unemployment and poor performance of the government will be among the major issues in the forthcoming Assembly elections, said AICC spokesperson Alka Lamba.

She said the BJP government, both at the Centre and the state, has been making false claims.

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