Rahul Gandhi to take plunge in poll-bound Maharashtra, Haryana

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi is likely to plunge himself deep in campaign for next month's assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana where prospects look bleak for Congress.

In what would amount to enormous political risk, the Congress vice president may address over 10 rallies in Maharashtra and about six in Haryana.

As per the plans that are still to be finalized, Rahul may spend three or four days in Maharashtra and two days in Haryana.

His rallies would be interspersed with public meetings to be addressed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Sources said Sonia's rallies would definitely be fewer than those of her son.

The young Gandhi's plan to take to the battlefield with gusto comes as a surprise to insiders and observers alike given the party's negative rating in the poll-bound states and questions being raised about Rahul's leadership after the Lok Sabha defeat.

"He will be the prominent face in our campaign and that means he is taking responsibility," an aide said.

It goes against the grain of conventional wisdom. With Rahul's prominent role in elections, Congress losses could further provide fodder to his critics within the party. That Prime Minister Narendra Modi too is likely to lead the BJP charge. It could again lead to a 'Modi vs Rahul' match-up that settled decisively in the saffron mascot's favour in the parliamentary polls.

The post-defeat chatter in Congress has been less than flattering for Rahul, with some questioning his leadership and a section demanding that sister Priyanka be put in charge. The growing potshots at Congress vice-president led to a serious situation with a group of party secretaries challenging the seniors and forcing the organization to issue them a 'gag order'.

But aides say Rahul has not paid much attention to the negative talk. The party is set for a recast, possibly after the elections, a much awaited exercise that is likely to carry Rahul's stamp in terms of personnel and their responsibilities.