GOP's hard-won 28 seats at stake as scion's absence rakes up rift with Stalin talks

CHENNAI: With barely a week left for the Tamil Nadu election campaign to conclude, the delay in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announcing dates for his campaign in the State has triggered unease within the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), which fought hard to get 28 seats, and the leader of the alliance DMK which reluctantly gave away 3 more seats than the 2021 polls.

Even as all party leaders are focusing on high-voltage campaigns for the upcoming polls, the Congress scion is missing in action. TNCC candidates and state leaders, trying their best to prove a point to the DMK by winning in the polls, are not enthused by Rahul Gandhi's coldness.

TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai and other state-level leaders are busy with their statewide tours. However, the party is seeking more support from Delhi, as the cadre want to see Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi on the ground, the most credible faces of the party who could pull votes in favour of the Grand Old Party.

According to party sources, Rahul Gandhi has not yet finalised the campaign dates for his Tamil Nadu tour. Sources indicate that Rahul Gandhi is upset over the internal rift within the TNCC. They also criticised the BJP over the delimitation exercise scheduled between April 16 and 18, and said the Congress is focusing on countering it.

Rahul's decision to ignore the TN poll campaign has fuelled speculation about a rift with DMK president MK Stalin. Even though the two leaders recently campaigned in Puducherry on the same day, they didn't share the stage. Congress leaders are more worried because the party is largely dependent on the larger ally, the DMK, for ground-level election work. Rahul's absence is making their task much more challenging.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Congress state in-charge Girish Chodankar recently told reporters that Rahul Gandhi's Tamil Nadu tour plan will be announced soon. However, with the campaign set to end on March 21, the delay has heightened concern within the party and the alliance, as any failure by the Congress may prevent the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) from forming a government, especially in a tight political contest.