Hubballi/IBNS: Congress party’s former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will jointly hold an election rally and address a large public meeting here on Saturday, according to Prasad Abbiah, sitting member of the outgoing Karnataka Assembly from the Hubballi-Dharwad East Constituency.

Addressing a press conference here Friday, Abbiah said that this is the first time that both Sonia and Rahul are holding an election rally and addressing a public meeting together in Karnataka.

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and KPCC working president Salim Ahmed will also participate in the rally cum public meeting.

Answering a question about why Sonia, who will be attending an election rally after a gap of nearly four years, choose to campaign in Hubballi, AICC Secretary Vishnu Nath said that she would like to help the Congress candidates win not only in the Hubballi-Dharwad but in entire North Karnataka region.

On Jagadish Shettar, Nath said that Congress is not worried, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is nervous as the party is going to win 150 seats in the elections slated to be held on May 10.

BJP has fielded its state general secretary Mahesh Tenginkai as its candidate.

The public meeting will be attended by more than 25,000 people at the Youngster's Sports ground on Mantur Road in the Hubballi-Dharwad East constituency presently held by him.

[With UNI inputs]