Sonia, Rahul, Advani to hit campaign trail in Bengal

Kolkata, April 15 (IANS) Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice president Rahul Gandhi, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani and party president Rajnath Singh will hit the campaign trail for the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal.

According to a BJP spokesperson, Rajnath Singh will be arriving in the city Wednesday and is scheduled to hold three rallies in Rampurhat in Birbhum district, Buniyadpur in South Dinajpur and Raiganj in North Dinajpur.

BJP patriarch Advani is slated to address a party meeting in Bhadreswar in Hooghly district in support of two of its candidates in the district - Chandan Mitra from Hooghly and Bappi Lahiri from Sreerampore.

Rahul, who earlier held a public rally in Jalpaiguri district, will hit the campaign trail April 21 in Murshidabad and North Dinajpur districts.

A day later, his mother and Congress president Sonia will address her first campaign rally in the state for ongoing Lok Sabha polls, in Malda and North Dinajpur districts.

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is in the fray from Bahrampur seat while union Minister Deepa Dasmunshi is recontesting the polls from Raiganj.

In Malda - split into two constituencies - union Minister of State for Health Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury is contesting from Malda South while Mausam Benajir Noor is contesting from Malda North constituency.