Lok Sabha polls: Congress hopes to repeat 1979 magic with Sonia Gandhi rally at Ajmal park

NEW DELHI: Indira Gandhi had made a comeback to power with a rally in Ajmal Khan park in 1979 which drew a huge response and Delhi Congress hopes to repeat the magic as it today organised the party's first rally at the same venue after 34 years.

Standing on the historic hotspot, leaving behind its defeat in the 2013 state Assembly polls, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi today sought public support for re-election in an attempt to gain the lost ground.

"The warm response of the people was indicative of Congress' revival in Delhi after the disappointing defeat in the 2013 state assembly polls," Mukesh Sharma, chief spokesperson of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, said.

"Ajmal Khan Park had proved lucky for the party in 1979 when Indira Gandhi had addressed her first rally here having lost power. In 1980 she had returned to power. We hope this time too, rally held at this venue will work like a 'sanjeevani booti' and history will repeat itself," he said.

DPCC Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely in his address called the venue historic as it was named after the well known Muslim nationalist politician and freedom fighter Ajmal Khan, who once was the president of Congress party.

"He chaired the All India Congress Committee sammelan in 1921 in Ahmedabad. during which, under the mentorship of Mahatma Gandhi, he gave the message that if we want to save and free our country then people of all regions and religion have to come and fight together. And today the rally has been organised here, as the country is faced by same challenges again," Lovely said.

Whether the magic is repeated or not, the party expects to do well and regain its foothold after today's "successful" rally.

According to the police sources about 20,000 people had come to the rally while the sitting arrangements were made only for 12,000.