Rahul Gandhi to visit Raipur on Sept 2: AICC Kumari Selja

RAIPUR: Ahead of the Chhattisgarh assembly election, scheduled later this year, All India Congress Committee (AICC) Incharge of the State Kumari Selja said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Raipur on September 2. She also informed that the party president Mallikarjun Kharge will visit the poll-bound state on September 8.

Addressing the press conference in Raipur today, Selja said, "On September 2, Rahul Gandhi will visit Raipur for a meeting. On September 8, party president Malliakrjun Kharge will also visit the state. Many party leaders will visit the state, we are also inviting Priyanka Gandhi ji to the state."

Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal also exuded confidence over winning the election in the state and said that their target is 75 seats and they'll surely get it.

While talking to the reporters on Saturday, he said, "Our target is 75 seats, we will certainly win".

Meanwhile, as part of its poll preparations, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released its first list of candidates for two Hindi heartland states, even as Congress also made a significant change and appointed the party’s general secretary Randeep Surjewala in charge of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.

However, Congress is yet to announce the list of candidates for the Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. BJP has released its first list of 21 candidates in Chhattisgarh and 39 candidates in Madhya Pradesh, where it expects a tough contest in the assembly polls later this year.

"Congress President has appointed general Mukul Wasnik as in-charge of Gujarat, and general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala as in-charge of Madhya Pradesh," the All India Congress Committee (AICC) said in a release on Thursday. Five states – Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram - will go to the polls by the end of this year.