Rahul Gandhi on two-day visit of Jammu from today

Rahul Gandhi will reach Jammu in the afternoon and will take part in the evening puja at the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple. He said on Friday the Congress leader will meet the party workers during a luncheon meeting.

The Congress leader had visited Kashmir on a two-day visit from August 10. It was his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the reading down of Article 370 and downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir to a Union territory (UT).

During his visit, he had attended the wedding of the son of G.A. Mir. He had also visited the Mata Keer Bhavani temple at Tulmulla in Ganderbal and Dargah at Hazratbal on the banks of Dal Lake. He had also inaugurated the new building of the Congress party's headquarters in Srinagar, the Congress Bhawan.

In August, Rahul addressed the party workers at the Congress Bhawan and said Jammu and Kashmir was under direct assault from the Centre. He had demanded the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and holding of free and fair elections at the earliest.

The Congress leader had tried to visit Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370 but was stopped by the authorities citing law and order situation in the UT. He had said he would be visiting Jammu after the Parliament session.

Rahul Gandhi's visit to Jammu comes at a time when there is talk of elections in Jammu and Kashmir after the Delimitation Commission submits its report.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech also said that elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held soon.

The Congress party, which used to get most of its seats from Jammu region, is facing issues in the region due to differences between senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and the party high command. Azad is a native of Doda district of Jammu and enjoys support among both Muslims and Hindus of the region. Azad is part of the group of Congress dissidents informally known as G-23. The group held a show of strength in Jammu in February much to the chagrin of the top leadership.

The dissidents held a rally in Jammu after Azad's term in the Rajya Sabha came to an end. The dissidents addressed supporters in Jammu wearing saffron turbans considered a symbol of Dogra pride. Congress has been in coalition in Jammu and Kashmir with both the NC and the PDP a few times and commands support in Jammu region. The party has support in at least four constituencies in Kashmir also.