Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Patna on February 5 to participate in the birth anniversary programme of freedom fighter and Dalit leader Jaglal Choudhary.

This will be Rahul’s second trip to the state capital in 18 days.

Rahul’s visit, though apparently to participate in Choudhary’s anniversary programme, assumes importance in light of the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state. His visit is being associated with an attempt to woo the Dalits of the state.

His last visit here was on January 18 to participate in a conference on protecting the Constitution and also to meet party leaders and workers at the state Congress headquarters at Sadquat Ashram.

“Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will participate in the birth anniversary function of Jaglal Choudhary at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna on February 5,” Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) president and Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh posted on X on Monday.

Jaglal Choudhary (February 5, 1895 – May 9, 1975) was a freedom fighter and Dalit thinker. He quit studies and joined the independence movement under the influence of Mahatma Gandhi. He remained a member of the Congress throughout his life and also became a minister in the Bihar cabinet.

Choudhary, during the freedom movement, was a part of the provincial government as the excise and public health minister under the British. He was the first person to implement prohibition in a few districts like Saran, Muzaffarpur, Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, and Ranchi in the then undivided Bihar.

Rahul’s visit will also double as an occasion to strategise for the Bihar Assembly elections that are slated to be held towards the end of the year Rahul is expected to confabulate with senior party leaders in Bihar over the strategy for the Assembly elections, with a focus on attracting various sections of society.

“Though we are continuously preparing for the polls, Rahul’s visit is going to give impetus to it. He will discuss the way ahead for the coming Assembly elections. The focus will be on attracting all sections of the society and also on ensuring that the party is not given an unfair deal in the seats distribution under the Mahagathbandhan,” a senior Congress leader told this newspaper.

During his previous visit, Rahul not only participated in the Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan and met Congress leaders and workers at the BPCC headquarters, but also met Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, as well as the students agitating against the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC).