Rahul Gandhi Returns to Bengal Campaign Trail as Congress Eyes Revival

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is set to begin campaigning for the Congress party in the West Bengal Assembly elections on Tuesday, marking his first election visit to the state in five years.

His sister, Priyanka Gandhi, General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), is also expected to campaign for Congress candidates in the coming days.

Polling in West Bengal is scheduled for 23 and 29 April, with the main contest likely to be between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Meanwhile, the CPI(M)-led Left Front and Congress are contesting separately.

According to party sources, Rahul Gandhi will launch his campaign in Uttar Dinajpur before addressing rallies in Malda and Murshidabad. These Muslim-majority districts were once considered Congress strongholds and still retain some support for the party.

He is also expected to return later to campaign in Purulia and parts of North Bengal, where Congress hopes to secure seats. In the 2021 Assembly elections, when it contested in alliance with the Left Front, the party failed to win any seats.

Priyanka Gandhi may also visit these areas, although her itinerary has not yet been confirmed.

A senior state Congress leader said both Rahul and Priyanka are likely to campaign in the Baharampur constituency, where veteran leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is contesting. The former Congress leader in the Lok Sabha and five-time MP, now aged 70, has returned to state politics after three decades to contest from his home constituency.

Rahul Gandhi last campaigned in West Bengal during the 2021 elections, when he began his tour in North Bengal on 14 April. At the time, he criticised the BJP’s promise of creating a “Sonar Bangla” (Golden Bengal), describing it as an illusion and accusing the party of undermining Bengal’s culture. He also alleged that the BJP and RSS promoted division and hatred wherever they operated.

His campaign that year was cut short due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi did not campaign in West Bengal, although Congress once again contested in alliance with the Left Front. The party managed to win one seat, with Isha Khan Chowdhury securing victory in Malda Dakshin.

Earlier in 2024, Rahul passed through several districts in Bengal during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Congress leaders believe the campaigning of Rahul and Priyanka could improve the party’s prospects, especially in Murshidabad and Malda. The party’s manifesto was released in Kolkata last week by Mallikarjun Kharge.

Observers say Rahul is likely to focus his attacks on the BJP while avoiding direct criticism of Mamata Banerjee’s TMC, as Congress seeks wider opposition unity nationally.

A senior Congress leader said the election would be a key test of the party’s support in Bengal, adding that discontent with the TMC in some minority areas could help Congress gain seats.