Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is likely to be in West Bengal on 14 April to campaign. Confirming his arrival, sources close to PCC chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the presence of the Wayanad MP would give a much-needed boost to the party’s campaign in the rest of the phases of the ongoing election.

The Congress is missing the presence of party president Sonia Gandhi as well as Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra till date in the election campaign. There were no signs of the trio even though PCC leadership tried to put up a brave face saying that the leaders will hit the campaign trail.

The absence of the Gandhis are in a marked contrast with the whistle stop tours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and BJP party chief JP Nadda as well as other leaders criss-crossing the state in election rallies. Though the names of the trio figure in the Congress’s list of star campaigners, chances of their addressing election crowds in the state are slim till the polls are over in Kerala, PCC sources stated.The Congress and the Left are contesting against each other in Kerala elections. Since they are electoral allies in West Bengal, sources pointed out the presence of any of the Gandhis in the state would lend credence to the BJP’s charge that the Congress and the Left are engaged in a mock battle in Kerala.

This is the rationale of the members of the “first family of Congress” being in no hurry to come to West Bengal for the early stages of the eight-phase elections, it was learnt. With Murshidabad, Malda and Dinajpur (north) going to the polls in between the sixth and eighth phases, Rahul and Priyanka are likely to come then as these districts offers the Congress nominees the best bet.

But these tactical considerations are beyond the comprehension of most of the rank and file. The sight of Priyanka campaigning in Tamil Nadu and Rahul in Kerala have added to their confusion.

With the Congress and the Left contesting the Assembly polls on a common platform in this state, the absence of the star campaigners of its electoral allies have miffed the Front leadership which looked forward to their presence in the Brigade rally. Now both the Congress and the Front have resigned themselves to the fact that the Gandhi siblings would touch down this state almost at the fag end of the elections.