NEWDELHI: Interm Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are among the party’s 40 star campaigners for the upcoming Delhi Assembly election 2020. Importantly, the list also features the names of two former BJP leaders – Navjot Singh Sidhu and actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha.
Sindhu, a former Punjab government minister, had in past triggered a controversy by attending the swearing-in ceremony of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and posing with the country’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Sidhu will now seek votes for the Congress party and take on Kejriwal while campaigning in Delhi. Both Sidhu and Sinha have been roped in for the campaign to woo Punjabi and Purvanchali voters in the national capital. The list also includes former prime minister Manmohan Singh, chief ministers of Congress-ruled states – Capt Amarinder Singh (Punjab), Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and V Narayanasamy (Puducherry).
Besides, Congress’ Delhi unit chief Subhash Chopra, campaign committee chief Kirti Azad, AICC in-charge of Delhi P C Chacko and NSUI chief Neeraj Kundan will also campaign for various candidates in the high-stakes poll battle.
Former chief ministers Harish Rawat and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot, general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia, senior leaders Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad are also among the star campaigners.
Former Union minister Shashi Tharoor, who has been aggressively taking on the AAP and had launched the party’s campaign in Delhi, will also canvass for various candidates for the party.
The list of party star campaigners has been sent to the Election Commission. Congress has announced names of 66 candidates so far for the election to the 70-member Delhi Assembly and it is likely to leave four seats for its ally RJD.
Polling will be held on February 8 for the 70-member Delhi Assembly and the results will be declared on February 11. The Congress is seeking to revive its fortunes in the national capital this time. It had won just eight seats in 2013 and drew a blank in the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls.
Bureau Report
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