Congress releases the list of star campaigners for Bengal elections.
The Congress has released list of 30-star campaigners for the upcoming West Bengal polls 2021. According to the list, the party's interim chief Sonia Gandhi, ex-Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and party leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sachin Pilot, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Abhijit Mukherjee and Mohd Azharuddin, others will campaign for the party.
However, the list doesn't mention G-23 leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, others who spoke about organisational reforms in the party. The leaders have been vocal about the party becoming weak in the past several decades, calling for the need to focus on strengthening the party.
But the missing names raise many questions as even Sachin Pilot's name has been included. Pilot had raised the banner of revolt against Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. A source within G-23 said they will wait for all the states' list and then devise their strategy.
The prominent faces among the Congress star campaigners are Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
ALSO READ | Suvendu Adhikari files nomination from Nandigram, holds roadshow with Smriti Irani
It is the first time that Congress General Secretary Priyanka will be campaigning for the party outside Uttar Pradesh, apart from Delhi and Chhattisgarh where she had campaigned for the Assembly polls.
The other star campaigners are Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, Congress General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala are also in the campaigners list. Two former cricketers Navjot Singh Sidhu and Mohammad Azharuddin have also been named by the grand old party.
The Congress is contesting on 92 seats in West Bengal in alliance with the Communist Party Of India (Marxist) and the Indian Secular Front (ISF).
From the local leaders, AH Khan Choudhury, Deepa Dasmunshi and Pradeep Bhattacharya are in the Congress list of star campaigners.
Bengal polls will be held in 8 phases beginning March 27 while the final phase will be on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.
(With inputs from IANS)
ALSO READ | Full of insinuations, averments: Election Commission responds to TMC's letter on Mamata's Nandigram injury
