To bolster the Congress campaign in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will address a public gathering on Friday in the key Gwalior-Chambal region, home turf of Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Priyanka Gandhi launched the Congress campaign in Madhya Pradesh in June with a rally in Jabalpur, where she revealed the party’s five promises, including a monthly stipend of Rs 1500 for women in the state.
Priyanka Gandhi’s campaign and five pledges made by Congress are said to have played a significant influence in the party’s triumph in Karnataka elections earlier this year.
Her rally in Gwalior comes just two days after the Congress announced the introduction of the Gruhalakshmi plan in Karnataka, which provides a monthly direct transfer of Rs 2000 to the woman head of the family.
According to party sources, Priyanka Gandhi was instrumental in bringing this scheme to Madhya Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a new initiative from Jabalpur two days before Priyanka Gandhi’s rally last month, under which qualified women in the state will receive Rs 1000. Chouhan had stated that the money available under the Ladli Bahna Yojana would be raised in the future.
Jabalpur is important in terms of tribal votes, and Priyanka Gandhi’s rally was seen as an effort to focus on a constituency that the BJP is also actively courting.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Civil Aviation Minister, was a Congress general secretary alongside Priyanka Gandhi before joining the BJP. He is a former MP from Guna and has a stronghold in the Gwalior-Chambal region.