Sonia to address rally in Rae Bareli tomorrow

Lucknow, Mar 27 (UNI) Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who resigned from the Lok Sabha last week in wake of the office of profit controversy, will address a rally in her constituency Rai Bareli tomorrow, where she is expected to announce her decision to contest the bypoll.

Ms Gandhi, who represented Rae Bareli, will address a public meeting at the Government Inter College ground in the afternoon to thank people for their support.

Before reaching Rae Bareli by road after reaching Amausi airport here, Ms Gandhi is expected to interact with people at Mohanlalganj at the Lucknow-Rae Bareli border. ''She might make a couple of more such stopovers enroute,'' said a Congress leader here.

Her aide K L Sharma said in Rae Bareli that a new slogan 'Soniaji ki pehchan, tyag, tapasya aur balidan' (Sonia's symbol: renunciation, hard work and sacrifice) would mark her one-day visit.

It will be Sonia's first tour after resigning from the Lok Sabha seat and the National Advisory Council chairperson post in wake of the opposition campaign over her occupying office of profit.

At the Rae Bareli district Congress committee meeting earlier, a resolution, moved by former Congress MLA Indresh Vikram Singh, urging the Election Commission to hold byelections to Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency at the earliest was passed unanimously.

Meanwhile, the popular mood in the constituency is upbeat and there is great public support for the Congress president after her announcement to re-contest the LS election from Rae Bareli.

The youngsters -- who have become new voters -- are especially excited over the forthcoming bypoll as they would get an opportunity to exercise their franchise.

Like the late former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Sonia's name has become synonimous with development in the constituency.

Old-timers claim that the process of development here came to a standstill after the Congress was voted out of power at the Centre and Uttar Pradesh.

Her regular visits to the constituency and keen interest in its development generated an industrial climate that saw a number of new units in the private sector sprouting in Rae Bareli.

UNI NAB VD RN1438