Rahul Gandhi kicks off his campaign for Kerala Assembly elections

He departed from his residence in Delhi on Monday and is set to address a series of public meetings in Kerala today, as the party ramps up its campaign for the upcoming 2026 state elections.

He recently launched the United Democratic Front's (UDF) election campaign in Kozhikode on March 25, focusing on key issues like governance, development, and welfare schemes.

Today, he's addressing public meetings in Keralam, aiming to energise party workers and attract undecided voters.

His campaign is expected to highlight the UDF's "guarantee card" promises, targeting key constituencies and minority communities. The elections are shaping up to be a closely contested battle between the UDF and the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF)

On March 28, Rahul Gandhi met Congress MP from Kannur, K Sudhakaran, and his family on Saturday, along with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and MP KC Venugopal, ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

The Kerala Assembly polls, which will be held in a single phase on April 9, will have the counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The tenure of the current assembly is set to conclude on May 23. The polling would be done under strict guidelines issued by the ECI under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), which came into effect in all poll-bound regions after the election schedule was announced.

The Congress-led UDF seek to unseat the incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led LDF and gain control of the 140-member assembly. The LDF-led government has governed the state for around a decade. Around 2.7 crore electors are expected to participate in the election.

Earlier on March 26, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition (LoP) Lok Sabha, did not visit Kerala for his scheduled visit ahead of the polls. Virtually addressing a rally held in Kozhikode, the Congress leader said that he could not attend the rally in person as his mother was hospitalised in New Delhi.

"I would have liked to come here, but I was forced to stay in today and was unable to come. Yesterday, my mother was hospitalised and I, as a son, was quite worried about her, so I decided to stay with her. I know that the people of Kerala will understand this. Last night, I was extremely worried about my mother's health. The whole night, I was only comforted by one thing. I was comforted by a nurse from Kerala who came in every hour to check on my mother," he said. (ANI)