New Delhi: The Congress is planning a vigorous campaign for the Kerala and Assam assembly elections, led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, and senior leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Voting will take place on April 9 for all 140 assembly seats in Kerala and 126 in Assam. The results will be declared on May 4. The Congress is contesting approximately 95 seats in Kerala as part of the UDF and 100 seats in Assam as part of the opposition alliance.
According to party insiders, the Congress’s election campaign is set to begin in full swing after the March 26 deadline for withdrawal of nominations. The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) is expected to address several public meetings in both states during this period. To woo voters, they will highlight the party’s social welfare and development agenda, while also targeting the ruling LDF in Kerala and the NDA in Assam.
Party insiders further stated that Priyanka will focus on wooing women voters, who constitute half of the total electorate. She will also target the ruling coalitions in both states going to polls. Congress has been in opposition in both Assam and Kerala since 2016 and hopes to return to power in 2026.
However, party insiders stated that while Congress strategists are confident of victory in Kerala, they also have a good chance of victory in Assam, but victory there remains a difficult task. Party insiders stated that given the better prospects of victory in Kerala, both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will address approximately 10-12 public meetings in Kerala during this short campaign period. These public meetings will include rallies, street corner meetings, and road shows. They also stated that they plan to cover all 14 districts of the southern state.
AICC Secretary in-charge of Kerala, PV Mohan, told ETV Bharat, “Opposition leaders will visit the state for a public meeting in Kozhikode on March 25th. Priyanka Gandhi will also visit the state soon. Our election campaign is going to be very vigorous. We will target the failures of the LDF government. We will also present our vision for the state’s development to voters. We will try to organize programs in all districts of the state.”
Priyanka Gandhi represents Wayanad in the Lok Sabha, the constituency that Rahul Gandhi represented from 2019-2024. Therefore, both leaders have a special focus on the state. The AICC, which is betting on Kerala, has deployed senior leaders from across the country as observers in all 14 districts to coordinate the election campaign. On Sunday, AICC leader in charge of Kerala, Deepa Dasmunshi, and special observers Sachin Pilot and KJ George, along with other senior leaders, briefed these observers.
AICC Secretary in charge of Kerala, BM Sandeep, told ETV Bharat, “The UDF is moving forward strongly. We have completed the selection of candidates for all seats without any disturbance. This shows how effectively the leadership has handled the selection of candidates and the expectations of the people.”
He said, “The LDF government has neglected public welfare and misused resources. Our promises prioritize education, healthcare, and the welfare of every citizen.”
AICC Secretary in charge of Assam, Manoj Chauhan, told ETV Bharat, “The top leadership is expected to address approximately 4-5 public events and several street corner meetings to connect with the public in Assam. Congress insiders said that this vigorous campaign to counter the NDA will focus on approximately 35 seats in the districts of Upper Assam—including Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Jorhat, Majuli, Lakhimpur, and Dhemaji. The entire top leadership will campaign across the state. Details are being finalized.
Former Union Minister Pawan Ghatowar said that the Congress’s election campaign will begin in full swing after March 26th and will emphasize the NDA government’s failures as well as the party’s vision for the northeastern state. Ghatowar told ETV Bharat, “Our manifesto will present a vision for the future. The state government’s failures will obviously be highlighted in the election campaign. We will also focus on issues of local pride.”
The party is also planning to release a manifesto that will highlight issues related to local tribes and women, in order to counter the NDA’s women’s allowance announced just before the elections.
