New Delhi: The Indian National Congress launched an aggressive campaign in Tamil Nadu ahead of the April 23 Assembly elections, aiming to strengthen both its own prospects and those of the ruling DMK-led alliance against the NDA.
Polling for all 234 Assembly seats in the state is scheduled for April 23 and campaigning will conclude on Tuesday evening in accordance with Election Commission norms. The Congress, a key partner in the DMK-led secular alliance, is contesting 28 seats, up from 25 in 2021. In the previous elections, the party had won 18 seats and is now looking to improve its tally with the popularity of Chief Minister M. K. Stalin.
Seat-sharing negotiations between the Congress and the DMK had differences of opinions as the Congress demanded 39 seats. However, differences were resolved, and both parties came together during the campaign.
Stalin spearheaded an outreach drive across the state, while Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge led the party’s campaign. Their message focused on the achievements of the alliance government over the past five years, the strength of the 21-party coalition, and promises of continued welfare initiatives.
While Rahul Gandhi did not share the stage with Stalin due to a busy schedule, Kharge addressed joint rallies with the DMK chief. Both leaders launched attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has allied with the DMK and other parties to challenge the ruling bloc.
The Congress leaders accused the BJP of promoting a divisive agenda in a state. Rahul Gandhi stressed on the Congress’s commitment to Tamil cultural identity and said that the BJP would not succeed in gaining power in the state through its alliance partners. Both he and Kharge also criticised the Centre over its proposed delimitation agenda and alleged that it could adversely impact southern states.
AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, expressed confidence in the alliance’s prospects and said that the campaign had been successful and that voters were likely to re-elect the DMK-led government.
Meanwhile, the political scenario in West Bengal is different. Campaigning for the first phase of polling will end on April 23 and the second phase is scheduled for April 29. The Congress is contesting all 294 seats independently for the first time after parting ways with its long-time allies, the Left parties.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Congress-Left alliance failed to win any seats, with the Congress securing around 4% vote share. This time, party leaders are hopeful of increasing their vote share and gaining a foothold in the Assembly, even as the primary contest remains between the ruling All India Trinamool Congress and the BJP.
Rahul Gandhi addressed three rallies in the state on April 14 and targeted both the BJP and the TMC. Senior leaders, including Kharge and Sachin Pilot, have also campaigned.
The Congress campaign has focused on traditional strongholds such as Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, and Cooch Behar, where the party hopes to make electoral gains. Key candidates include former MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Berhampur and former MP Mausam Noor in Malatipur.
AICC secretary in charge of West Bengal, Amba Prasad, said contesting all seats independently was a challenge but said there are chances for the party to win.
However, the party has also alleged administrative hurdles. A planned rally by Rahul Gandhi in Sreerampur had to be cancelled due to lack of permission from local authorities. State unit chief Subhankar Sarkar accused the Mamata Banerjee government of restricting campaign activities.
