Rahul Gandhi to visit drought-hit areas in Maharashtra

Mumbai, April 26 (IANS) Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi arrives here Friday on a two-day visit to Maharashtra during which he will visit some drought-hit regions, a party office bearer said here.

He will visit some of the worst drought-hit villages in Satara district on the second day of his visit, the party official said Thursday.

Gandhi will hold separate meetings with the party's state and district committees and Mumbai unit of the National Students Union of India, the Congress's students wing, in a Vile Parle auditorium.

Later, he will meet the office-bearers and elected representatives of the state and Mumbai Youth Congress at the same venue.

In the afternoon, he will move towards south Mumbai and hold a meeting with district and block presidents of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee at the party headquarters in Tilak Bhavan, Dadar.

His final engagement Friday will be a meeting with the newly-elected members of the local self-government bodies at the Indian Gymkhana, Matunga, the office bearer said.

Some party officials, who were planning to attend one or more of the engagements of Gandhi, claimed they had no knowledge of the agenda for discussions.

All the engagements shall be closed-door meetings. The media is likely to be permitted during the visit to drought-affected regions.

This is Gandhi's second visit to the state in the past 10 months, the previous one being in July 2011.

During his earlier visit in February 2010, Gandhi surprised Mumbaikars by travelling in a Mumbai suburban local train from Andheri to Ghatkopar.