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Nandini Oza
Nandini Oza

GUJARAT POLLS

Only 5-10 people benefitted in last 22 years in Gujarat: Rahul

PTI12_8_2017_000210a Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi waves to his supporters at Kheda district in Gujarat | PTI

A night before Gujarat polls for the first phase of assembly elections, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has expressed confidence that the Congress would win the battle. He was speaking to media persons at Vadodara airport before leaving for New Delhi.

Rahul flew to New Delhi to wish his mother Sonia Gandhi on her 72nd birthday, which falls on Saturday.

He said that there was a definite undercurrent and that they were to win it. “They will try, put in money, a lot of effort. But this thing is done already,” he said, adding that he was not worried and they were doing really well.

The Congress vice president said that he would appeal to the voters to vote for Gujarat's future. He alleged that in the last 22 years only five to ten people have been benefitted in Gujarat.

He said that he would not forget the love people of Gujarat have showered on him in the last three to four months. Gandhi assured that he would be available cent per cent any time to the people of Gujarat.

Rahul has been campaigning aggressively over the last couple of months and has rejuvenated the opposition Congress.

Congress is now seeing the best possible chance of winning the elections in a scenario in which the ruling BJP is faced with anti-incumbency. There is discontent from the Patidars, OBCs and Dalits as well. The GST and demonetisation, too, have been instrumental in increasing the angst of the masses.

In a clear indication that Rahul would not tolerate any indecent remarks by his partymen, even against the political adversaries, the party on Thursday suspended its senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar over his “neech aadmi” comment against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The suspension came just days ahead of Rahul's expected elevation as Congress president.

Aiyar's remarks have put the party in trouble in poll-bound Gujarat as the BJP and Modi have been trying to milk the controversy by raising it in every election campaign meeting.

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