PATNA: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to launch his election campaign in Bihar from Purnia on March 23.Sources in Congress said, “Rahul will address an election rally at Rangbhoomi Maidan in Purnia on March 23 to garner support for former BJP MP Uday Singh alias Pappu Singh, who had quit the saffron party on January 18 this year and is all set to join Congress. From Purnia, Rahul will fly to Malda in West Bengal to address another election rally.”Purnia Lok Sabha constituency is going to polls in the second phase on April 18. However, Congress is yet to declare its candidate from any of the Lok Sabha seats in Bihar including Purnia.Singh told TOI on Monday that he and his supporters would join Congress in the presence of party state president Madan Mohan Jha at Sadaqat Ashram here on March 20. Singh, who represented the Purnia Lok Sabha seat twice in 2004 and 2009 as BJP nominee, further said he and his supporters were making all necessary preparations to make Rahul Gandhi’s programme a grand success.AICC in charge for Bihar Shaktisinh Gohil said, “The Congress president on his way to Malda will make a stopover at Purnia airport. We are seriously considering to organise a big rally for him here.”On being asked about the date of his filing nomination from Purnia seat, Singh said the Grand Alliance is yet to announce the seat-sharing arrangement and list of its candidates. “Decision on filing nomination will be taken once the GA comes out with its list of candidates,” he said.Younger brother of the 15th Finance Commission chairman N K Singh alias Nandu Babu, Uday Singh had lost his Purnia seat in 2014 to JD(U)’s Santosh Kushwaha by a margin of more than 1.16 lakh votes notwithstanding the strong wave in favour of Narendra Modi . In the recent seat-sharing among allies of NDA, Purnia has been allotted to JD(U) which has decided to retain Kushwaha as its candidate.Earlier, Uday Singh’s mother Madhuri Singh had represented the Purnia LS seat twice in 1980 and 1984 as Congress candidate. Uday’s sister Shyama Singh won Aurangabad (Bihar) Lok Sabha seat in 1999 as Congress nominee.

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