Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge arrive in Jammu and Kashmir before Assembly Polls.

Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge recently arrived in Srinagar in preparation for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir polls. Their arrival was met with a warm reception from Congress activists and supporters at the airport, who even caused a brief delay for Gandhi’s vehicle in their eagerness to greet him. The two leaders have scheduled key meetings in the Union Territory in relation to the three-phased assembly elections, which are set to commence on September 18.

No official meetings were planned for them on Wednesday, but they are expected to engage in extensive discussions with party leaders and workers from 10 districts in the Kashmir Valley on Thursday. Additionally, they may meet with the National Conference leadership to discuss a potential pre-poll alliance, although Congress Committee president Tariq Karra emphasized that the visit was planned prior to the election schedule announcement and is unrelated to alliance discussions. Following their interactions in Srinagar, Gandhi and Kharge will travel to Jammu to continue engaging with party workers from 10 districts in the region.

Their focus is to gather feedback on grassroots-level election preparations, as this will mark the first UT elections in a decade. The Congress party has expressed openness to forming alliances with like-minded parties, regardless of prior political affiliations, in their aversion to BJP policies. Meanwhile, the BJP called on Rahul Gandhi to clarify his party’s stance on Article 370 and Article 35A during his visit, while boasting of the peace and development they claim have been instilled in the region under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.