Mumbai: First time in history, Rahul Gandhi will address public from Shivaji Park

Posters of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at Shivaji Park ahead of public address. Pic/Atul Kamble

After concluding its nationwide Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Congress party joined with its alliance partners of INDIA bloc will kickstart their Lok Sabha election campaign from Mumbai. All the prominent leaders from the Congress, including Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi have reached the Shivaji Park ground in Mumbai. Other Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders including Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar and others have also joined the Gandhi family at Shivaji Park.

The leaders on Sunday evening took blessings of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue at Shivaji Park before starting the public address. MVA leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and others are expected to speak at the gathering. It is awaited what war cry the MVA gives for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. It is first show of power by MVA and INDI bloc at large after the Lok Sabha election dates were announced.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, Jharkhand CM and SP chief Akhilesh will to join the event. VBA leaders Prakash Ambedkar has also accepted the invitation to join the rally on Sunday at Shivaji Park.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that it is a 'black day' for Maharashtra as Congress leaders who did not respect V D Savarkar and do no align with Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology, will hold public rally at Shivaji Park. Notably, Shivaji Park is traditionally known for Dusshera rallies by Shiv Sena.

Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad said that it is an historic day that Rahul Gandhi will address from Shivaji Park, while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sachin Ahire slammed Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis' statement made earlier in the day saying he came back to power after dividing Shiv Sena and NCP.

On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi concluded his 63-day-old Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai by paying tributes to Dr B R Ambedkar at his memorial Chaityabhoomi in central Mumbai and reading the Preamble of the Constitution.

On the last day of the yatra on Saturday, addressing a public meeting in the Dharavi, Mumbai, Gandhi reiterated the Congress' promise of caste census and asserted that poor women would get Rs 1 lakh every year in their bank accounts if his party returned to power.