Surat: By deciding to kick-start his party’s Lok Sabha campaign from Gujarat in Valsad, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be keeping his date with history.Valsad, the pre-dominantly tribal LS constituency, had been Congress’ stronghold for years before the party lost this seat in 2014 polls. Gandhi is set to visit Dharampur in Valsad district later this month to formally launch Congress election campaign in Gujarat.Valsad, Lok Sabha seat is one such parliamentary seat where the party has fared well since the time of Indira Gandhi in 1970s . During Rajiv Gandi’s tenure too, tribal belt of Dangs, Valsad and Navsari had firmly supported the Congress. It was in 2014 that BJP, under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that Congress lost Valsad.Kadir Pirzada, All India Congress Committee (AICC) member and in -charge of Valsad Lok Sabha Constituency, said, “With Valsad, it has become a belief that whoever wins this seat, wins the country. In the past too, Indiraji and Rajivji started their campaign from here and we will repeat the history this time.”Kisan Patel, the two-time Congress MP from Valsad in 2004 and 2009 said, “In early 60s,70 and 80’s, national leaders from our party used to visit this constituency to kick-off their national campaign. Whenever we have won this seat, our party has been successful in forming government at the Centre.”In 2004, Patel had defeated sitting BJP MP Manilal Chaudhary and retained this seat in 2009 too by defeating DC Patel, and both the times Congress came to power at the centre with a coalition government. However, Patel lost to BJP’s Dr KC Patel in 2014.When contacted, Congress leader Rajeev Satav, in-charge of Gujarat said, “Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) and Congress Legislative Party (CLP) is deciding on a couple of places where Rahulji will visit.”

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