Rahul Gandhi begins two-day Gujarat visit, meets key Congress leaders
Ahmedabad (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived in Ahmedabad on Friday morning as part of his two-day Gujarat visit, during which he will hold meetings with party leaders with a focus on the 2027 assembly elections.
After his arrival at the airport here, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha headed Gujarat Congress’ headquarters in the Paldi area of the city.
He first met senior party leaders, including former state Congress presidents, and former leaders of opposition in the assembly, said the party in a statement.
Later in the day, he will attend a meeting with members of the state political affairs committee.
In a statement on Thursday, the Congress said Gandhi had earlier asserted that the party would win the 2027 Gujarat assembly elections and he would be visiting the state to start the work for the polls.
Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been under BJP rule since 1995.
On Friday evening, Gandhi will meet district and city presidents of the Congress and its taluka and municipality chiefs. He will interact with the representatives of social organisations between 5 pm and 7 pm, the media release said.
Gandhi will address party workers in Ahmedabad on Saturday and leave for Delhi that afternoon.
The upcoming All India Congress Committee (AICC) session is scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad on April 8-9. It will be held in the state after 64 years.
Party general secretary K C Venugopal had visited Gujarat last Tuesday to oversee preparations for the meeting.
In the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections, the Congress won only 17 of the 182 seats in the state. But the party’s strength in the House came down to 12 after the resignation of five MLAs.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
