JAIPUR: The Congress heir apparent Rahul Gandhi, who would be holding road shows in the state later this month ahead of the Assembly elections, is all set to take on state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) star campaigner and chief minister Vasundhara Raje in the poll campaign.

Finding no leaders in the state who could match the mass appeal of Raje, the Congress is now banking heavily on the Gandhi-Nehru scion and junior Gandhi himself is keen to take to the dusty fields of Rajasthan and shed his princely image.

He would hold a series of road shows during his five-day tour to Rajasthan, to begin after Dussehra. Rahul is expected to visit the tribal villages of Dungarpur and Banswara. Congress sources said that taking a cue from his late father, he would interact with villagers and avoid addressing mass gatherings.

If insiders in the party are to be believed, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary's Shramdaan with National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) labourers in district Baran, a stronghold of the BJP, was part of a well-thought plan that had to be preponed in the wake of Tuesdays tragedy at Chamunda temple, where Rahul Gandhi paid a visit a day after the mishap.

Congress leaders feel that apart from giving a boost to the election campaign of the state Congress, Rahuls campaigning in the state is expected to help him increase his acceptance amongst the masses and also build an opinion that he too can lead the party to victory.

The Congress scion so far seemed to have failed in making his presence felt in other states, where he earlier campaigned during elections including UP, the state from where he was elected as MP.

"Congress here is already riding high on the anti-incumbency wave and has better prospects of victory than any of the five states going to Assembly polls. In the eventuality of victory in the state, the credit will also go to junior Gandhi. This will help his loyalists send a strong message that Rahul is a mass leader, whom common people want to see in the role of future prime minister, said an insider.

In fact, young aspirants in the party seem enthused by the presence of Rahul, whose shramdaan with labourers in Bhawananagar on Thursday, seems to have touched their emotional chord. Seeing a bright future for Congress in Rahul, they are drawing comparisons with the generation next of national BJP leaders.
Source : DNA