Rahul Gandhi likely to visit West Bengal on March 25

Kolkata, March 19:

vice-president

is likely to visit

on March 25 for Lok Sabha poll campaign. He may address poll meetings in Kolkata and North Bengal on that date, state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said.

Rahul Gandhi's visit to the city is important considering that some very senior Congress leaders in West Bengal are shying away from fighting the election despite pleas from Gandhi in a meeting with senior Bengal Congress leaders in New Delhi. Former West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee presidents Manas Bhuniya and Pradip Bhattacharya are among those who have expressed their reluctance to fight the election to Parliament's lower chamber.

Cong sets up 53-member campaign committee in West Bengal

Congress tonight came out with a 53-member campaign committee for West Bengal with former PCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya as its chairman and PCC chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury among its prominent members.

Rahul Gandhi may address poll meetings in Kolkata & N Bengal on March 25

Union ministers Deepa Das Munshi and A H Khan Choudhury are also members of the committee along with senior leaders Somen Mitra, Manas Bhuiyan, Mohammad Sohrab and Abdul Mannan Hossain. Unlike in 2009, Congress is contesting Lok Sabha polls in the state on its own and its former ally Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is one of its main rivals in the state having 42 seats.

PTI