Kharge, Rahul arriving on 2-day J&K visit today

Jammu, Aug 20: All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Jammu on Wednesday on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to “attend key meetings in preparations for ensuing assembly elections” and deliberate with party leaders and workers.

The news was first splashed by AICC general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal through a post on ‘X.’

“On 21st and 22nd August, Hon’ble Congress president Shri Mallikarjun@khargeji and Leader of Opposition Shri @RahulGandhi ji will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar for key meetings in preparations for the upcoming assembly elections,” Venugopal posted.

This was followed by an official statement by Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) senior vice president and chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, stating, “AICC president and LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be arriving here tomorrow at 1 pm for an interactive session with party leaders, delegates, block presidents and other senior leaders at Celebration banquet hall, Marble Market, Jammu.”

“Later in the evening, they shall leave for Srinagar,” Sharma said.

Interaction with media too may become part of their itinerary.

Even the J&K party leaders were taken aback by the sudden announcement of the party's top leadership’s visit to J&K, scheduled just a day after the notification of the first phase of assembly elections was issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

“Yes, the visit was not pre-scheduled. It has come as a pleasant surprise for the party rank and file in J&K. It aims at boosting the morale of party workers at all levels, both in Jammu as well in Kashmir. It (visit) also aims at clearly conveying a message by the top leadership that the party is serious about electoral exercise in J&K which figures in its priority list,” Sharma told Greater Kashmir.

Though Sharma did not confirm it yet, party sources from Kashmir hinted that the “key meetings of AICC president and LoP Lok Sabha” with prominent opposition leaders of J&K to explore and finalise alliance possibilities for assembly elections, could not be ruled out.

“Indication is there in the AICC general secretary’s post (on 'x') also. Moreover, Venugopal, after the meeting of the AICC screening committee on August 19, said that the main motive of Congress was to defeat BJP in all four states going to polls in the coming months. Even during the screening committee meeting, chaired by Kharge and Rahul in the union capital, deliberations were held to explore the possibility of effective pre-poll alliances to achieve this objective,” sources said.

Sources also referred to the statements of newly appointed JKPCC president Tariq Hameed Karra, made following he reached J&K on Monday from the union capital, after taking new responsibility. Karra indicated that NC and PDP had already approached the Congress leadership for the alliance.

“Congress is open to alliance(s) to achieve the common mission to defeat BJP,” Karra had said.

According to sources, the visit of top leaders will also serve the purpose of soothing frayed nerves following the change of (J&K) guard, just ahead of assembly elections.