Rahul Gandhi to address public rally in Shahdol today

Bhopal, Oct 10 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address a public rally in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district on Tuesday and is likely to take on the ruling BJP on several issues, including atrocities on tribal community and the caste based census.

It happens to be the first rally of a big leader after the election date for Madhya Pradesh was announced on Monday.

The elections would be held on November 17, while the results would be announced on December 3.

Rahul Gandhi, along with senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, would arrive in Satna where state unit chief Kamal Nath would join them and proceed to Beohari in Shahdol district.

With this mega rally, the Congress aims to regain its lost political ground in Vindhya region of Madhya Pradesh where the party had won only six of the 30 Assembly seats in 2018.

It will be Gandhi's second public rally in the poll-bound state, the first being in Shajapur district on September 30.

Besides, he would hold a meeting with the senior party leaders.

According to a Congress leader, more than one lakh people are expected to attend the Beohari rally.

Congress leaders across 30 seats of Vindhya region have been tasked to mobilise the maximum number of people.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Shahdol in July, during which he had announced a slew of schemes for the tribals.

The Congress is yet to announce its candidates for 230-membered Assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh, while the ruling BJP has named 136 candidates in four separate lists.