Sonia rally not for BMC election campaign: Vilasrao Deshmukh

Mumbai, Dec 21: Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today said Congress President Sonia Gandhi's rally in the city on Saturday was being held to mark the 121st foundation day of the party and it was not a campaign for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

Mr Deshmukh told reporters, after overseeing preparations of the rally at Shivaji Park, that the meeting was planned about two months back to commemorate the party's foundation day.

Incidently, the party was born in Mumbai in December 1885. Ms Gandhi had addressed a public meeting here last year on December 28 at Mankhurd. She had addressed a public meeting at Shivaji Park in December 2003 and virtually launched the party's election campaign for the 2004 Lok Sabha polls from the metropolis.

Mr Deshmukh lauded the efforts of Mumbai Congress which was leaving no stones unturned in making the public meeting a success.

When asked about State Election Commissioner Nand Lal's decision that the expenditure on the rally would be accounted in the Congress candidates election expenses, Mr Deshmukh said he would not like to comment on it.

UNI