Chennai: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to undertake an intense one-day campaign tour in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, April 18, as part of the party’s push ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled for April 23.
According to his itinerary, Rahul Gandhi will depart from Delhi at 8.30 a.m. on a private flight and is expected to arrive at Chennai’s old airport at 11.10 a.m.
Shortly after landing, he will board a helicopter at 11.30 a.m. to travel to Ponneri in Tiruvallur district, where he will address a public rally in support of Congress candidate Duraichandrasekar.
From Ponneri, the Congress leader will proceed by helicopter to the Sholingur Assembly constituency in Ranipet district. There, he is scheduled to campaign for party candidate Muni Rathinam, marking his second major public engagement of the day as part of the Congress’ effort to consolidate its presence in northern Tamil Nadu.
After completing his campaign events in Ranipet, the Lok Sabha MP will return to Chennai by helicopter, landing at the old airport around 2.30 p.m. He is then slated to board another private flight at 3 p.m. to Tiruchirappalli.
In Tiruchirappalli, he will campaign for Congress candidate M. Lenin Prasad, who is contesting from the Thuraiyur Assembly constituency.
Following his engagements in central Tamil Nadu, Gandhi will return to Tiruchirappalli airport and depart for Delhi at 5.40 p.m., with his arrival in the national capital scheduled for 8.20 p.m., wrapping up a tightly packed day of political activity.
Ahead of his visit, a high-level coordination meeting was held at Chennai airport on Thursday. The meeting was attended by members of Gandhi’s security team who had arrived from Delhi to oversee logistical and security arrangements for the tour.
Meanwhile, sources indicated that Rahul Gandhi is unlikely to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during this visit.
Stalin is scheduled to leave Chennai for Madurai on Friday afternoon for campaign events and is expected to return only late Saturday night from Coimbatore.
With both leaders following separate campaign schedules, a meeting between them appears unlikely during this visit.
The visit is seen as a crucial effort by the Congress to energise its cadre and strengthen its alliance prospects in key constituencies ahead of polling.
(IANS)
