Congress ready for Assembly polls, says Pawan Khera; skirts question on Rahul’s foreign tour.

New Delhi: Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera, on Friday, said that the party is ready for the upcoming elections in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra by the end of this year. Jammu and Kashmir may also see polls as the Election Commission is expected to announce dates soon.

Pawan Khera, speaking to IANS, said that the Congress party is ready to repeat and even improve its 2024 Lok Sabha performance in the ensuing Assembly elections. He also expressed confidence that it will dislodge the ruling BJP in Maharashtra and Haryana and retain Jharkhand, where it is in alliance with Hemant Soren-led JMM.

Khera’s statement comes on the back of the recent high-level Congress meeting attended by General Secretaries, all state unit chiefs and state in-charges along with party President Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The top brass took stock of preparations in states heading to polls and are also understood to have chalked out a strategy to carry on the momentum that it gained in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Sonia Gandhi also urged the party workers to not be complacent or over-confident as the public mood remained in the party's favour.

Pawan Khera further accused the Modi government of being hypocritical on the promise of electoral reforms in the country.

“On Independence Day, the Prime Minister reiterated the call for One Nation, One Election. In fact, he has been advocating for it for the past ten years. But, what we hear is that the poll panel will announce election dates for two states only. Doesn’t this show their double standards,” Khera told IANS.

On questions about Rahul Gandhi’s proposed visit to the US, he evaded a clear reply and said that the party hasn’t got any communication regarding that.

“Whenever we have information about his foreign tour, we will let you know,” he stated.

According to some reports, a week-long visit is planned for Rahul Gandhi to the US in the first week of September. This will be his first visit abroad as the Leader of Opposition. During the trip, he is likely to address the Indian diaspora and also interact with students of some prestigious universities there.