The event is scheduled at Pauri’s Kondolia Ground; party workers brimming with enthusiasm over Rahul Gandhi’s visit.
Pauri: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will sound the election bugle for the Congress party in Uttarakhand from Pauri on today. The party is fully geared up for his high-profile visit. As per the official itinerary, Rahul Gandhi will board a flight from Delhi at 10:00 AM and land at Pantnagar Airport at 10:40 AM. From there, he will take a helicopter at 11:00 AM to reach the Army Ground in Almora by 11:20 AM. He will then travel by road to the public rally venue in Simkni. After addressing the gathering, he will depart for Pauri at 12:40 PM.
The coordinator for Rahul Gandhi’s programme and Pratapnagar MLA, Vikram Singh Negi, reviewed the preparations along with party officials. Sharing details of the visit, Pauri District Congress President Vinod Negi said that the former Congress President will arrive in Pauri at 1:45 PM. Here, at the Kondolia Ground, he will spend nearly an hour interacting with ex-servicemen. The event will also be attended by senior party leaders, including Congress State In-charge Kumari Selja, State President Ganesh Godiyal, and former ministers Dr. Harak Singh Rawat, Surendra Singh Negi, and Mantri Prasad Naithani, alongside MLA Lakhpat Butola.
Highlighting the historical significance of the venue, Congress State Spokesperson Adwait Bahuguna said that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had visited Pauri twice, in 1938 and 1944, addressing public rallies at the Ramlila Ground. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Pauri four times for election rallies—in 1968, 1973, 1982, and 1984—holding massive public meetings at the Kondolia Ground. During her visits in 1982 and 1984, she was accompanied by her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi’s last visit to Pauri was in the aftermath of the Kedarnath disaster, during which he stayed at the Pauri Circuit House before proceeding to Rudraprayag.
Meanwhile, the Pauri district administration and police department held a high-level meeting regarding the LoP’s visit. The meeting, chaired by Joint Magistrate Gauri Prabhat, was attended by CO (Sadar) Tapesh Kumar and other top police officials, alongside Rahul Gandhi’s advance security team. Key logistical arrangements, including the VIP route, security deployment, and overall event management, were thoroughly discussed.
