Narendra Modi may consider him a small fish, but Rahul Gandhi, the 'gold' fish of the Congress, is quietly but firmly making inroads into Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, both of which are BJP strongholds. Gandhinagar, moreover, is LK Advani's parliamentary constituency.

Gandhi, who is AICC general secretary and in-charge of Indian youth congress (IYC), went meeting-hopping on Monday and covered nearly 10 venues in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, all in a day's work. The meetings, held with small groups of youths, mainly students, and first-time voters, were to boost the recruitment drive of IYC. The interaction was brief at each venue, but focused and to the point, intended to leave a lasting impression without much fuss.

The focus was on attracting youths and first-time voters into politics. “This is a time for nation-building. The country needs young professionals to make a difference. I invite and urge youths like you to join politics,” he said in his 10-minute speech at Bhaikaka Bhavan in the afternoon, where he met around 400 young (18- to 35-year-old) professionals.

Chartered accountants, lawyers, engineers and research scholars were invited for the interaction. There was enthusiasm in the audience to interact with the Gandhi scion, but whether this interest translates into votes remains to be seen.

Jumana Shah/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication